United Airlines tracks megastar Taylor Swift’s globe-spanning Eras tour to make sure they have enough airplane seats for her army of fans. “Our demand booms wherever she goes” by a material amount, United CCO Andrew Nocella said Wednesday at the Skift Global Forum in New York. The airline has seen a 25% increase in demand — “maybe more than that” — on United flights during Swift’s weekend concerts, “and it goes right back to normal after.” Swift’s economic might has been well documented. The singer’s 53 US concerts in 2023 added $4.3b to the country’s gross domestic product, according to estimates from Bloomberg Economics. Her Paris concerts earlier this year helped lift consumer spending in the city by 22%. Although United hasn’t added flights for one of her concerts, “I wouldn’t rule it out in the future,” Nocella said in a separate interview.<br/>
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Sustainability is a hot topic in our world today, especially in the aviation industry. With the fuel burn and emissions of passenger aircraft, airlines, manufacturers, and regulators are looking for ways to minimize the harm to the environment. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) passed a resolution in 2021, passed by member airlines, to commit to reaching net-zero emissions by 2050. Airlines worldwide have invested millions into the purchase and generation of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), including the 'Big Three' carriers in the United States (US). United Airlines even started a marketing campaign with Oscar the Grouch to promote its sustainability efforts. Let's have a look at what each of the 'Big Three' are doing. United Airlines is one of the largest airlines in the world. In recent years, the airline has aggressively expanded its network and fleet, investing significant amounts of money in aircraft purchases and retrofits. In sustainability, United has led all American carriers in several ways. In 2009, United was the first US airline to test SAF, and six years later, it was the first to invest in a SAF company. In 2016, United was the first US airline to schedule regular flights using SAF. In 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chicago-based carrier announced its commitment to being 100% green by 2050. Three years ago, United had its first flight with an aircraft using 100% SAF in one engine. Despite all of its efforts, United highlights that passengers can also contribute to its sustainability efforts. When booking flights, United has added a 'green shading' icon, meaning they estimated this to be a lower-carbon option on a per-passenger basis than other flights with carbon emissions shown for your itinerary. The calculation is based on the share of the flight's estimated carbon emissions for an economy seat. United has also set up a sustainable flight account to be used for SAF research, technology, and production. It has already made an investment in the future production of more than 5b gallons of SAF. According to the website, donations can be made of $1.00, $3.50, or $7.00. Story has more.<br/>
Low entry-level pay in the tentative deal between Air Canada and its pilots could be a stumbling block ahead of a union vote on the agreement, some aviators and experts say. While the tentative agreement's cumulative 42% wage hike over four years applies to all flight crew — a big topline gain after a decade of 2% annual raises — many could still feel left out of the windfall. Under their current contract, pilots earn far less in their first four years at the company before enjoying a big wage increase starting in year five. The Air Line Pilots Association had been pushing to fully scrap the so-called “fixed rate” provision, where earnings stay flat regardless of the type of aircraft flown. (Typically, wages increase with the size of the plane.) But the proposed deal announced Sunday would merely cut the four-year period of lower pay to two years, according to a copy of the contract summary obtained by The Canadian Press. Even in years three and four, wages would be substantially lower than in year five. The hourly rate jumps by up to 39% in the fifth year, a far greater leap than in any other period, the term sheet shows. On the assumption that pilots work roughly 75 hours per month — a common baseline in the industry — newer recruits currently earn between $55,000 and $77,000 per year. Under the would-be agreement, that range would rise to between $75,700 and $134,000 versus nearly $187,000 in year five, and more than $367,000 for an experienced captain flying a Boeing 777.<br/>
Air Canada is offering new deals for customers after the possibility of a pilots’ strike forced many to change travel plans. On its website, an offer for customers to save 25% on all destinations around the world is being promoted for bookings made today. The travel period must be between Sept. 18 and May 31, 2025. In addition, customers can earn 2,500 bonus Aeroplan points for travel periods starting on Sept. 28 until May 31, 2025. The 25% discount applies to economy (standard only), and select premium economy lowest and business class lowest, undiscounted Air Canada-published base fares only, per the website. Certain dates are exempt from the deal. In late August, the airline’s pilots, who are part of the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA) union, voted in favour of a strike for fair pay, better retirement benefits and quality-of-life improvements, according to a news release. Air Canada and its pilots reached a tentative deal by mid-September. “After several consecutive weeks of intense round-the-clock negotiations, progress was made on several key issues including compensation, retirement, and work rules,” said chair of the Air Canada ALPA MEC First Officer Charlene Hudy. “This agreement, if ratified by the pilot group, would officially put an end to our outdated and stale decade-old, ten-year framework.” Customers who changed flights that were booked between Sept. 15 and Sept. 23 to another date before Nov. 30 can switch back to their original booking free of cost if seats are available, Air Canada said in a news release.<br/>
Star Alliance member Shenzhen Airlines will launch a three times a week service between its Shenzhen base and Doha from 29 October, 2024. The new ZH807 flight will depart Shenzhen every Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday at 0100, arriving in the Qatari capital at 0600. The return ZH808 services leave Doha at 1915, getting back into Shenzhen the next morning at 0845. Shenzhen Airlines will deploy its long-haul Airbus A330-300 on the new Doha service. The carrier’s A330-300s come in a three-class configuration, seating 18 passengers across a 2-2-2 lie-flat business class cabin, 24 in 2-4-2 premium economy and 267 in 2-4-2 economy class. It should be noted that the premium economy product is essentially the same as what is offered in economy class, just with more legroom.<br/>