SAS is in talks with Airbus about buying A320neo jets for its short-haul fleet and expects to agree a deal this spring after ending negotiations with rival planemaker Boeing, its finance chief said. Goran Jansson also said that SAS was in talks with Japanese investors about a so-called Japanese operating lease with call option (JOLCO) to fund the planes. JOLCO is a niche aircraft financing structure already used by SAS where an airline leases planes from a Japanese investor and has a buyout option. Jansson, who will take on a new role at the airline in March with a focus on strategy, said in December that SAS needed to invest in 40-50 new aircraft, in addition to planes already on order, and was looking into how to finance that. Airbus's 2017 list price for an A320neo is US$108m. <br/>
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United Continental is set to debut an upgraded economy section with bigger seats and free booze on some international flights, following similar moves by US rivals. United will introduce what it’s calling Premium Plus later this year, a spokeswoman said, without giving further details. A memo sent to United employees Thursday said the new section will have additional perks including upgraded dining on fine dinnerware and Saks Fifth Avenue blankets and pillows. The carrier is playing catch-up to rivals, many of whom already provide a similar product. While United hasn’t revealed much about its plans for Premium Plus, if it follows the mould set by other carriers it would have more legroom, nicer food, and occasionally a more generous baggage allowance. <br/>
Lufthansa has introduced “SmartDepart” gates in Munich to expedite passengers flying to Düsseldorf, Berlin/Tegel, Frankfurt and Hamburg. The Munich SmartDepart Fast Lane project—which Lufthansa began trialling in July 2017—was originally planned to begin at the end of Oct 2017. The lanes give Terminal 2 passengers dedicated access to security checks weekdays between 6-8:30 a.m. and 4-6:30 p.m., with departure gates nearby and shorter boarding times. The key requirement is that passengers have only 1 item of hand luggage. Lufthansa CE Munich hub Wilken Bormann said that after a successful trial period, “the time savings were very noticeable for our passengers. In a survey, the majority of passengers stated that the start of their journey was much more comfortable,” he said. <br/>
Following 2 alarming close-calls at San Francisco International last year, Air Canada has agreed to an immediate safety review of its entire operations, including increased pilot training and a closer look at the airline’s arrivals and departures at SFO. The airline’s agreement comes amid a spike in incidents involving other airlines during take-offs and landings at SFO. The NTSB is also investigating a Dec 2016 incident where a passenger jet almost pulled onto a runway in front of a departing jet, as well as a Feb 2017 incident where a plane aborted a landing when it learned another commercial jet was on the runway. But the sweeping Air Canada reviews show how serious the 2 SFO incidents with the airline were, including one which aviation experts have said could have caused one of the deadliest aviation disasters ever. <br/>