United Airlines Holdings Inc. has raised concerns with the Biden administration over how the pending $1.9 billion merger of Alaska Air Group Inc. and Hawaiian Holdings Inc. could affect its business relationships with Hawaiian. United Chief Legal Officer Robert Rivkin raised the carrier’s misgivings in a conversation with the US Transportation Department’s deputy general counsel, according to a government filing. United is concerned about the potential effect a deal may have on marketing and loyalty agreements it has with Hawaiian. The department is reviewing the proposed combination after the US Justice Department ended its evaluation without challenging it on antitrust grounds. The decision to let the deal proceed was a break from the US government’s opposition to earlier airline combinations, part of the Biden administration’s push to promote competition across many industries. The DOJ previously blocked a merger between JetBlue Airways Corp. and Spirit Airlines Inc. and forced the breakup of a JetBlue partnership with American Airlines Group Inc. Representatives for United and the Transportation Department declined to comment beyond the filing. Alaska and Hawaiian didn’t immediately respond to messages seeking comment. <br/>
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Privatisation target TAP Air Portugal boosted its recurring operating profit in the second quarter, although its net performance was dragged down by the currency challenges in its key Brazilian market. The Portuguese carrier increased its recurring EBIT earnings by 16% to E183m ($204m) for the three months ending 30 June 2024. Revenues were 3% higher in the second quarter at E1.1b, driven both by higher passenger activity – reflecting 2% more capacity and load factor up more than a point to 82.7% – as well as by a jump of E30m in revenues to E72m from its maintenance business. But TAP net profit was down E8m at E72m in the second quarter, largely reflecting foreign exchange losses amid the depreciation of the Brazilian real. The airline has a strong presence in Brazil, which will be further increased to 15 routes with the re-opening of its Manaus flights and a new service to Florianopolis. TAP overcame first-quarter losses, posting a net profit of E0.4m for the first half, including an E18m foriegn-exchange loss. CE Luis Rodrigues says: “In the second quarter of 2024, we continued the necessary path of structural transformation of TAP. Special mention goes to the maintenance and engineering area, which is beginning to realise its potential. The strong performance in the second quarter allows for a positive net result in the semester which, despite being reduced, is achieved for the second consecutive time, but now without salary cuts. We continue on the path we set out to follow, with the commitment of our people and the support of our stakeholders: to establish TAP as a sustainably profitable company and one of the most attractive in the industry.”<br/>
The airline that famously flies flies to more countries than any other has announced a significant milestone. The Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles loyalty program has officially reached 20m users. The airline's frequent program is now 35 years old, having launched in 1989. The offering was rebranded to the current Miles&Smiles name in 2000, eight years before the carrier joined the Star Alliance. The program is now widely known for the benefits it offers members, including free WiFi on flights and reasonable award redemption opportunities on Turkish Airlines and Star Alliance member flights. Points can also be across a wide range of partners (Miles&Smiles has partnerships with over 300 brands globally, including Booking.com, Marriot, Enterprise, Apple, Ikea, Sephora, and Ticketmaster) or on additional charges, including cabin upgrades, extra baggage, and seat selections. According to the airline, Miles&Smiles has issued over 20m award tickets since its inception. In a statement celebrating the news, Turkish Airlines Chairman of the Board and the Executive Committee Ahmet Bolat expressed their excitement for the program to reach this level of membership: "Our passengers are at the heart of everything we do. Reaching 20m members is a momentous milestone, reflecting not only our commitment to being a dynamic and authentic lifestyle brand but also the trust and loyalty our members have shown us over the years. We will continue enhancing our guests’ travel experience, and as we celebrate this achievement, we look forward to introducing even more innovative features and rewards to the Miles&Smiles programme in the future."<br/>
Singapore Airlines has received Indian government approval for foreign direct investment, clearing a significant hurdle in the merger of airline Vistara, its 49%-owned joint venture with Tata Group, into Air India, it said on Friday. Singapore's flagship carrier announced a plan to merge the decade-old Vistara and Tata-owned Air India in November 2022, in a bid to create a dominant full-service airline in the domestic and international markets. India is among the world's fastest-growing major aviation markets. Global airlines are expanding flights to the country and Indian airlines last year placed record orders for hundreds of new planes. Singapore Airlines said it expected the deal, which Indian and Singaporean antitrust regulators have cleared, to be completed by the end of 2024. That is delayed from the original target of March, and the airline said the companies were in talks about an extension to the agreed stop date of Oct. 31. Singapore Airlines, which is the only foreign airline with a direct stake in an Indian carrier, will hold a 25.1% stake in the combined Air India group in return for a $250m investment. The Singaporean company is due to invest up to S$880m ($675.42m) after the merger is completed.<br/>India's Tata took over flag carrier Air India in 2022 and embarked on a multi-million dollar transformation of the former state-run airline.<br/>
Singapore Airlines could soon join Cathay Pacific and Hong Kong Airlines in permitting passengers to check in for flights from Hong Kong, and drop off any checked luggage, at the city’s Airport Express railway station. The ‘in-town check-in’ service, as it’s known, used to be available for over a dozen airlines at the Hong Kong, Kowloon and Tsing Yi stations of the Airport Express, which zips between the city and the airport in less than 25 minutes. And its convenience was unparalleled: visitors to the Asian metropolis have long enjoyed the convenience of dropping their luggage of at Hong Kong, Kowloon or Tsing Yi stations and then staying in the city for meetings, shopping or sightseeing for the rest of the day, later making their way straight to the airport while their bags have already gone ahead to be loaded on their flight. The service was paused in April 2020 after the pandemic hit, of course, and it returned barely 12 months ago, initial only with Cathay Pacific staffing a handful of desks. Rival Hong Kong Airlines followed, and now both airlines accept check-in at Hong Kong and Kowloon stations. Now it looks like Singapore Airlines is gearing up to restart in-town check-in. Executive Traveller understands the Star Alliance member will return first to the Airport Express’ Hong Kong station. A spokesperson for Singapore Airlines confirmed to Executive Traveller the airline was “reviewing the plans to resume our in-town check-in service in Hong Kong SAR, and will announce our plans should there be any new developments.”<br/>
Air New Zealand CEO Greg Foran said the engine problems that have grounded a significant number of the airline’s jets will hamper operations for another two years. Four of Air New Zealand’s 14 Boeing Co. 787s currently can’t fly because engines from Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc aren’t available, Foran said in a Bloomberg Television interview Thursday. Six of the airline’s 17 Airbus SE A321s are grounded while the airline works with engine-maker Pratt & Whitney on extra maintenance requirements, he said. The operational impact “will be with us for a couple of years,” Foran said. The number of planes out of service is expected to gradually decline over that period, he said. The fallout suggests there’s no quick fix to the supply-chain snarls that have dogged aviation since the pandemic. Air New Zealand has a fleet of 110 aircraft, of which 58 are Airbus and Boeing jets.<br/>