United announced another investment in its Houston hub today by breaking ground on a new 140,000-square-foot Ground Service Equipment (GSE) Maintenance Facility at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) and opening a new, state-of-the-art Technical Operations Training Center at the airport that will give employees a cutting-edge training experience. United is the largest airline in Houston, with more than 14,000 employees and more than 500 daily departures. These planned infrastructure improvements underscore the airline's continued commitment to the employees and customers who live in the Houston area. Since 2021, United has invested more than $32b worldwide including billions in modern infrastructure, cutting edge technology and nearly $10b alone in employee raises. "At United, we believe that investing in our people and our facilities is the key to maintaining our leadership in the aviation industry," said Vice President of Airport Operations, Phil Griffith. "With these new facilities, Ground Service Equipment Maintenance Facility and the Technical Operations Training Center, we are enhancing our ability to maintain a world-class fleet while empowering our employees with cutting-edge tools and training. This investment reflects our long-term vision for Houston as a critical hub for United's operations and our commitment to sustainability, efficiency, and growth."<br/>
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The Federal Court of Appeal has upheld a decision by the country's transport regulator that aims to boost accessibility for air travellers living with a disability. A judicial tribunal dismissed an appeal by Air Canada, which took issue with one of the accommodations it was ordered to provide for passengers whose wheelchairs are too large to fit through the cargo doors of some aircraft, saying it was too onerous for the airline. The ruling Friday marks the culmination of a case that has dragged on since 2016, when respondent Tim Rose was told his power wheelchair would not fit on an aircraft, preventing him from travelling to Ohio as planned. After a series of decisions, the Canadian Transportation Agency ruled in 2023 that Air Canada must find passengers with disabilities a similar flight on a comparable route or, if that's not possible, swap in a plane that is capable of carrying the mobility device. Air Canada appealed the swap-in requirement last year. But Justice Wyman Webb rejected the airline's arguments: "Air Canada did not establish that it would suffer undue hardship if it had to substitute an aircraft." In January 2024, Air Canada said it accepted most of the agency's orders to remove barriers, including the obligation to find a plane that takes off within a day of the desired travel date, as long as the customer makes the request three weeks in advance. But it took issue with a key provision. It argued the requirement to sub in planes with larger cargo doors — some are just over two-and-a-half feet high, while many power wheelchairs can be collapsed only to a height of three feet — marks an “undue hardship” for the carrier, putting it at a competitive disadvantage. "The agency fails to consider factors such as impact of an ad hoc substitution of an aircraft on overall safety and quality of service to all other passengers within Air Canada’s network," the carrier added in court filings. On Friday, Webb ruled that Air Canada failed to lay out how the transportation agency erred in gauging what constitutes "undue hardship" on the airline.<br/>
Air India said on Tuesday that all staff, including top management, would travel in economy from April 1 to free up seats for paying customers, as the airline works on improving its image following criticism over flight delays. Staff would be upgraded to premium economy and business class seats on a flight only if these remained unsold 50 minutes prior to departure, The Times of India said in a report, confirmed by the airline. "With this, we want to ensure that our premium seats... for which we are seeing huge demand - are available for booking to our customers first, demonstrating a culture of customer-centricity in the new Air India," a spokesperson said. India is among the world's fastest-growing major aviation markets, and its domestic air passenger traffic has been growing at an annual rate of 10-12% over the past 10 years, according to the government.<br/>The form erly state-owned Air India was taken over by the Tata Group in 2022, and merged with Vistara - a joint venture between the Tatas and Singapore Airlines - last year. Billions of dollars have already been spent on an ambitious turnaround for the carrier, which involved ordering new jets, changing its logo, and upgrading interiors for over half its fleet, since the 2022 takeover.<br/>Reuters reported last week that Air India was exploring a multi-billion dollar order for dozens of widebody jets from Boeing and Airbus.<br/>
Air New Zealand has revealed that its new uniforms will feature a print incorporating tā moko, Māori tattoo. Internationally acclaimed artist Te Rangitu Netana (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Wai and Te Arawa) and tā moko practitioner has collaborated with designer Emilia Wickstead on her print design for Air New Zealand’s new uniform. Netana, whose work as a tā moko artist has spanned 35 years, is widely recognised for his mastery of Māori tattoo art. Originally from Kaikohe, Netana relocated to the UK in 2015, sharing his craft and Māori culture with the world. Each print on the uniform has been hand-drawn by Netana and tells a story of the indigenous heritage, history and culture of Aotearoa and reflects Air New Zealand’s values. Air New Zealand chief executive Greg Foran said the airline was proud to partner with someone of Netana’s calibre to bring New Zealand’s unique heritage and culture to life.<br/>