Star Alliance has made some key management appointments aimed at enhancing its strategic focus on a seamless experience for member airline customers. Ambar Franco joins Star Alliance as vice-president, customer experience, according to a press release. Franco will lead the development and implementation of initiatives designed to enhance the overall customer journey across the alliance: their booking experience, the experience of customers at airports and when they connect between Star Alliance member airlines, and then to ensure their continuing loyalty post travel. She brings significant expertise from the travel industry, most recently having held senior customer experience related roles at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group. Luc Lachoix is Star Alliance's vice-president, digital and technology. Lachoix is responsible for IT architecture, operations, and security, as well as supporting the IT needs of Star Alliance's Customer Experience and Loyalty business areas. He has served in various roles in the airline industry, including leadership positions at key travel technology companies including Amadeus and Sabre. Story has more.<br/>
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The questions came in the form of an email on Dec. 1, 2018, to Boeing from the chief pilot at Ethiopian Airlines. They were detailed and filled with aviation jargon. One of them was 452 words. But in essence the pilot was asking for direction. If we see a series of warnings on the new 737 Max, he posed, what do we do? What ensued was an email conversation among a number of Boeing senior officials about whether they could answer the pilot’s questions without violating international restrictions on disseminating information about a crash while it was still under investigation. That restriction was in play because a 737 Max flown by Lion Air had crashed a few weeks earlier leaving Indonesia. The inquiry from Ethiopian Airlines would prove chillingly prescient because just months later one of its 737s would go down because of a flight control malfunction similar to the one that led to the Lion Air crash. The Ethiopian Airlines crash would kill everyone on board and leave questions about whether Boeing had done everything it could to inform pilots of what it had learned about the malfunction and how to handle it. In response to the inquiry from Ethiopian Airlines, Boeing’s chief pilot, Jim Webb, proposed to his colleagues that he thank the airline for attending a previous briefing on the flight control system, called MCAS, but otherwise decline to answer the pilot’s first two questions and just refer the airline to training materials and previously issued guidance. Most of those on the email agreed. But at least one Boeing official, Simon Lie, an expert on the protocols surrounding investigations who has since left the company, argued that it could answer the question that was most centered on flight safety. “I’m good too. Although I think you could also answer question 2 without afoul of the investigation,” Lie, then a senior investigator for Boeing Commercial Airplanes who was part of the team looking into the Lion Air crash, wrote in the email, the contents of which were disclosed to a New York Times reporter. “However, if other feel we should stay away from 2, I will defer to their judgment.” That question asked Boeing what to prioritize in the event of multiple emergencies involving MCAS. Such emergencies could overwhelm pilots with caution lights, loud sounds and seemingly conflicting warnings.<br/>
A Texas federal judge with a record of ruling in favor of conservative causes injected uncertainty into Boeing's agreement to plead guilty over two fatal 737 MAX plane crashes, seizing upon a single sentence in the deal about the U.S. Department of Justice's diversity policy. In an unexpected move, U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor last week asked the parties to brief him by Friday on an element of the deal that says the DOJ will follow its "commitment to diversity and inclusion” when selecting an independent monitor to audit Boeing's safety and compliance practices. “It's incredibly unusual for a judge to zero in on a DOJ policy related to DEI like this - particularly in a criminal case involving such a major corporation," said Duncan Levin, a white-collar defense lawyer and former prosecutor, referring to policies commonly known as diversity, equity and inclusion. O'Connor is weighing whether to approve the plea agreement between the DOJ and Boeing and has said he expects to rule soon. The deal calls for the company to plead guilty to conspiring to defraud regulators in connection with the crashes, which killed a total of 346 people in 2018 and 2019. The sole reference to the DOJ's DEI policy appears on page 26 of the 32-page agreement. Families of the victims have filed briefs strongly urging O'Connor to reject the deal, saying it fails to properly hold Boeing and its executives accountable for the deaths of their loved ones.<br/>
South African Airways (SAA) continues to face a significant financial challenge as it struggles to repatriate more than $50m (around R1b) trapped in Zimbabwe. This predicament, largely a result of foreign exchange shortages in Zimbabwe, has drawn the attention of South Africa’s Parliament and placed pressure on both governments to find a resolution. The ongoing issue came to light during a recent meeting of Parliament’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA), where the airline’s representatives provided an update on their efforts to recover the funds, which are primarily from ticket sales. SCOPA chairperson Songezo Zibi suggested that SAA might need to consider more assertive measures, such as attaching assets in South Africa, to retrieve the funds, though such a step remains hypothetical for now. SAA has indicated that while it is currently in a stable financial position, it will need additional capital to expand its operations. The airline’s board chairperson, Derek Hanekom, highlighted that the funds locked in Zimbabwe could help SAA pursue future growth plans if released. Hanekom described the situation as “not easy,” acknowledging the difficulty of retrieving such a large sum, despite persistent communication with Zimbabwean authorities.<br/>
Major South Korean airlines are actively expanding their routes to China as demand for travel between the two countries recovers up after the Covid-19 pandemic. Korean Air Lines Co. announced on Thursday that it will begin new flights from Incheon to Fuzhou, China, from December 28th, 2024, onwards that will operate three times a week (Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays). Fuzhou, located on the eastern coast of China's Fujian Province, is famous for Wuyishan, one of China's top 10 scenic mountains. Korean Air will also resume flights on the Busan-Qingdao route from December 1st, 2024, offering one daily flight. This will be the first time in nearly four years since the Covid-19 outbreak that the airline has operated the route. Asiana Airlines Inc. is also moving quickly, increasing its Incheon-Beijing route from 14 to 20 times a week and its Incheon-Shanghai route from three times a day to four times a day since October 14th. The airline also hosted live commerce broadcasts where Chinese influencers experienced K-beauty products to attract individual Chinese tourists, particularly the younger generation.<br/>
A New Zealand citizen has appeared in court in Melbourne charged with one count of assaulting a crew member on a diverted Perth to Auckland Air New Zealand flight. Swalyn Barton-Cookes, 23 and now living in Perth, was removed by Australian Federal Police in handcuffs from Tuesday’s flight at Melbourne Airport. Speaking briefly to the media after his court appearance, Barton-Cookes told 7News he “can't remember” what happened. He added: “Life's changing. Wake up. Be a better person.” The offence carries a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment. Flight NZ176 had left Perth shortly before 8pm (local time) on Tuesday, and was due in Auckland at 7.15am on Wednesday before being diverted to Melbourne. In court documents, it is alleged Barton-Cookes got aggressive about an hour into the flight and, after being given a warning, he tried to head-butt a crew member several times, reported news.com.au. He was allegedly intoxicated, according to Australian Federal Police. The flight attendant suffered “a slight injury”. Police say Barton-Cookes had to restrained by crew and passengers as the pilots diverted to Melbourne. AFP Detective Superintendent Stephen Cook said “any violence or anti-social behaviour in a confined space in the air would be distressing for other passengers and crew”.<br/>