Delta and United are getting rid international ticket change fees, joining American Airlines in the measure that aims to spur travel demand that has been decimated in the coronavirus pandemic. Delta, American and United in August dropped change fees for domestic flights. American last month expanded that to international travel, including long-haul routes. Change and cancellation fees brought in $2.8b for US carriers last year, according to the DoT. The cost to change international tickets ran at least $200 for many itineraries, plus a difference in fare. But with passenger traffic hovering around one-third of last year’s levels and once-lucrative international travel especially hard hit, airlines are scrambling to loosen policies that would encourage travelers to book. “They’re gone for good,” Delta CEO Ed Bastian said Wednesday when asked if the fees would return if business recovers. “We don’t want just another reason why customers are nervous about booking and making advanced travel plans.” Basic economy tickets, which are nonrefundable, are exempt from the fee-free policies but both United and Delta have fee waivers in place for all tickets through the end of March. United said tickets would have to be purchased in the US. Passengers will also still have to pay any difference in fare.<br/>
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Lilium has selected Lufthansa’s training arm to develop a programme that will deliver a pipeline of qualified pilots for its developmental electric air taxi, as the Bavarian start-up solves another part of its pre-launch puzzle. Under the contract, Lufthansa Aviation Training will initially develop a bespoke type rating course for qualified commercial pilots, allowing them to fly the Lilium Jet. Lilium plans to launch operations in 2025 and needs to ensure that there are sufficient crews available to support that process and the rapid ramp-up of services that it hopes will follow, says Remo Gerber, COO. Gerber says the partners will take advantage of new technologies, such as mixed- and virtual reality simulation, to “push the boundaries” and “optimise” the training syllabus. With its tilting banks of electric-powered fans, and vertical take-off and landing capability, the Lilium Jet has a unique design compared with existing fixed- or rotary-wing aircraft and therefore requires a tailored training regime, he adds.<br/>
Hyderabad is all set to get a non-stop connectivity with the United States as Air India will launch its direct flight from the city to Chicago from January 15. The national carrier will operate the flight bi-weekly, GMR-led Hyderabad International Airport announced on Wednesday. The airline will operate Boeing 777-200 aircraft, with a seating capacity of 238 (8 First Class + 35 Business Class + 195 Economy Class) on the route. In addition to Hyderabad-Chicago direct flight, Air India also plans to connect Bengaluru and San Francisco from next month. Hyderabad-US-Hyderabad has been the largest unserved passenger origin and destination market between India and the US, with a potential of over 7,00,000 passengers annually. "This new non-stop route was on our connectivity wish list for quite some time. And we are delighted that it is our very own national carrier that has commenced this service," said Pradeep Panicker, CEO, GMR Hyderabad International Airport. Hyderabad is second home to the US giants such as Amazon, Microsoft, Apple and Google.<br/>
Local airlines will begin operating "international sightseeing flights" this weekend to improve their profits as the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic weighs on the aviation industry. The special flights take passengers over other countries and then return to Korea. Passengers will get duty free benefits, after the government decided to allow these flights to be operated for about a year to support the ailing aviation and duty free industries. Asiana Airlines will begin flights over Kyushu, Saturday, utilizing its A380 fleet. Its planes will leave Incheon International Airport at 1 p.m. and fly over Busan, Miyazaki and Jeju Island, before returning to Incheon at 4:20 p.m. "We will offer passengers amenity kits and in-flight entertainment services," an Asiana official said. "Passengers can also earn frequent-flyer points, but we will not offer in-flight meals, in line with antivirus guidelines." The official said the service will be available until early January. Jeju Air will begin a similar service, also starting Saturday. <br/>