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United Airlines is plotting a 2025 international expansion that spans Senegal to Mongolia and Greenland to Palau, a bid to win over travelers who have already had their fill of the well-trodden streets of Paris, Rome and Tokyo. Starting May 21, United will fly three times a week between its Newark, New Jersey, hub to Palermo, Sicily; on May 16, it will launch nonstops four days a week to Faro in Portugal’s Algarve region; on June 7 it plans three-days-a-week-service to Portugal’s Madeira Island; and on May 31 it’s starting nonstop flights to Bilbao in northern Spain, destinations that will beef up existing service to Italy, Spain and Portugal. Its inaugural flight between Newark and Nuuk, Greenland, will begin June 14, United said Thursday. “The savvy traveler has been to Paris, Rome and Madrid so many times that they’re looking for something different,” Patrick Quayle, United’s senior vice president of global network planning and alliances, told reporters. The experimentation with routes makes United a standout among U.S. and global airlines that have largely stuck with bread-and-butter additions. The expansion is part of United’s strategy to “skate where the puck is going,” Quayle said, as the company wants to make sure it can be all things to all travelers, offering destinations from U.S. cities like Corpus Christi, Texas, to Cape Town, South Africa.<br/>

United Airlines does not expect a strike by factory workers at Boeing to have any impact on its flight schedule for next summer, including new route launches, a top executive at the carrier said on Thursday. Around 33,000 workers that build Boeing's 737, 777 and 767 jets have been on strike for nearly four weeks, leading to a decline in aircraft deliveries to its airline customers. United, one of Boeing's most prominent customers, received just 28 planes from the jet maker in the first nine months this year, down from 59 a year ago. The Chicago-based airline has plans to fly its largest-ever transatlantic schedule next summer. It will also offer flights to new destinations in Mongolia, Taiwan, Greenland, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Senegal. Patrick Quayle, senior vice president of international network and alliances at United, said Boeing's strike was not expected to impact the launch of those routes. "At the moment, we're not expecting any impact for summer 2025," Quayle told reporters. "I'm confident that they'll get it resolved." The latest round of talks between Boeing and its workers broke down on Tuesday, diminishing hopes of a quick end to the strike.<br/>

A United Airlines plane diverted and made an unplanned landing after cockpit screens went blank while it was flying over Canada's far north. The incident occurred on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner operating Flight 231 from Los Angeles to London on September 26. The airline told Business Insider that there were 165 passengers and 11 crew members on board. According to a Transportation Safety Board of Canada report, while over Hudson Bay, the "captain's primary flight display and navigation display failed to a blank display." Both flight management computers also entered "a degraded mode with limited capabilities." The TSBC's report added that this meant the plane was left without lateral navigation or LNAV — an autopilot mode that involves following a programmed flight path. An emergency was declared, and the 787 changed course toward Chicago. Pilots could still use some other key autopilot features and communicate with the ground via satellite and radio. Despite the computer difficulties, the pilots used "alternate navigation and vectors" to land at Chicago O'Hare International Airport without further incident.<br/>

Air Canada pilots have given the green light to a tentative agreement with the airline, dashing fears of a future strike and overcoming concerns about entry-level pay and quality-of-life provisions.<br/>The Air Line Pilots Association said Thursday its members voted 67% in favour of the deal, allowing management and passengers to breathe easier. The agreement grants the carrier's roughly 5,400 pilots a cumulative wage hike of nearly 42% over four years. The increase outstrips major gains won last year by pilots at the three biggest U.S. airlines, where pay bumps ranged between 34 and 40% -- though they started from a higher baseline. Despite the eye-popping top-line figure, the one-third of ballots cast against the agreement reveal ongoing divides over issues such as scheduling, quality of life and a large pay gap between newer employees and more experienced flight crews. "It does show that there's room for improvement," said Charlene Hudy, who chairs the union's Air Canada contingent. "There's a contingent of my pilots right now who clearly may not agree with me. "It is not a perfect agreement," she told reporters on a conference call. Nonetheless, Hudy stressed that it amounts to the biggest labour contract in the company's 87-year history, adding $1.9b in value to the previous deal. "We pushed Air Canada as far as we could push them to extract as much value as possible." The country's largest airline also welcomed the thumbs-up from pilots. "The agreement is mutually beneficial and it will keep our pilots the best compensated in Canada and provide the work-life balance improvements they were seeking. At the same time, the agreement gives our company flexibility and creates a framework for future growth of the airline and its network," said CE Michael Rousseau in a release.<br/>

Lufthansa's long-promised turnaround of Italy's ITA Airways, crucial to help revive the German airline's fortunes, is interlinked with Rome airport Fiumicino's ability to implement an ambitious expansion plan.<br/>Struggling with high costs and prolonged delays in Boeing plane deliveries, Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr said on Oct. 1 that investing in further international growth - which includes the agreed purchase of a 41% stake in Alitalia successor ITA - would help to revamp the hard-hit Cologne-based carrier. Yet, ITA's prospects are closely tied to those of Rome's main airport. Fiumicino is still waiting for clearance from Italian airport regulator ENAC to double its capacity to 100m passengers annually by building a third terminal and more runway space.<br/>"One of the reasons that further pushed us to invest in ITA Airways was the quality of Fiumicino. It is one of the few airports in Europe that has capacity for growth, both in terms of terminals and runways," Spohr, who sees the airport as a gateway to Africa and Latin America, said in July. Aeroporti di Roma (ADR) is owned by infrastructure group Mundys, controlled by the Italian Benetton family and equity firm Blackstone. The airport manager submitted in 2021 an E8b development plan for Fiumicino to ENAC, which is still assessing it. Some sector analysts are however questioning Lufthansa's focus on Fiumicino: "They have identified Rome as a hub for Latin America. But ITA is not as ideally positioned as (Portugal's) TAP or (Spain's) Air Europa," said Ruxandra Haradau-Doser from HSBC.<br/>

Air India is continuing a dramatic turnaround by placing a new order for 85 Airbus planes and could buy more Boeing jets on top of an historic order for European and U.S. jets last year, industry sources said. The Airbus order emerged in a routine industry update as the national carrier mourned the death of the former chairman of parent Tata Group, business and aviation pioneer Ratan Tata. Airbus said late on Wednesday an unnamed customer had placed an order for 75 A320-family jets and 10 long-haul A350s. Three sources said that Air India was the airline behind the order. Two of the sources said Air India was also in talks for a potential top-up order from Boeing. Air India did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Airbus deal, first reported by Bloomberg News. Airbus, whose routine monthly bulletin was published shortly before Tata announced the death of its former chairman at the age of 86, declined comment on any talks with customers. Boeing did not immediately reply to a request for comment. Ratan Tata took over from the Tata conglomerate's former chairman and founder of Air India, J.R.D. Tata in 1991 and served as chairman for over 20 years.<br/>

Singapore Airlines has partnered with BBC Masterchef and Amazing Hotels presenter and chef, Monica Galetti, for a selection of outstanding seasonal menus. The collaboration includes a refined four-course menu for Suites and First Class customers, and an indulgent three-course menu for Business Class travellers. Chef Monica’s menu presents a fusion of flavours using locally sourced produce and draws inspiration from both her South Pacific roots and classical French training. Passengers can look forward to four seasonal menus, each featuring Galetti’s signature “Hokey Pokey” dessert – a nostalgic chocolate and honeycomb treat inspired by her childhood in New Zealand. Chef Monica Galetti says: “After months of menu development, I am delighted to unveil my exclusive menu for Singapore Airlines. Bringing fine dining to customers at 35,000ft is my most exciting culinary journey yet. From fresh lobster to fine caviar and warming soups to locally sourced lamb, customers can expect a world-class in-flight dining experience on board Singapore Airlines flights.”<br/>