Air France’s First Female CEO and 11 Other Aviation Trends This Week

>>Anne Rigail has the key task of trying to get the unions onside in order to avert further strike action. If she succeeds, the future looks good for Air France: Air France Appoints First Female CEO

>>As a Dataminr executive told us, “There is no such thing as a secret now.” If it happens on an airplane and someone puts it on social media, it is bound to become news. That’s just how it goes now, for better or worse: How Artificial Intelligence Determines Which Airline Stories Go Viral

>>If it happens on an airline and someone tweets it, journalists will know. It’s often not because of their top-rate investigative reporting skills. Instead, they’re using an artificial intelligence platform that flags interesting posts on social media. The future is here, folks: How’d That Aviation Story Go Viral? Blame Artificial Intelligence

>>It should come as no surprise that the government isn’t following its own rules when it comes to securing the traveler data it seizes from personal devices. Another reminder to take precautions, even if your chance of getting searched is rather low: U.S. Customs Isn’t Protecting Traveler Data After Electronic Searches

>>It may seem early to be worrying about the October 2020 deadline for so-called Real IDs for U.S. domestic travel, including U.S. territories, but planning ahead could reduce headaches at the airport or motor vehicle agencies: Travel Advisors Warn U.S. Clients to Get Ready for Real ID Deadline

>>This year Lufthansa made a series of small moves that, when looked at together, reveal a doubling down on its multi-front strategy to pressure Amadeus, Travelport, and especially Sabre to conform more to its preferred airline distribution practices. Connect the dots, and it looks like a low-grade war: Lufthansa Ratchets Up Pressure on Sabre Over Distribution

>>Alitalia has a new idea to save the company. Will it work? It’s not clear it will, but you probably have to give the airline credit for trying. Right? Alitalia’s Plan to Save Itself Includes Teaming Up With Delta and Air France-KLM

>>New qualification standards for elite status at American and Delta seem to be working as intended: Business travelers are looking forward to better exclusivity while budget travelers are giving up: Higher Standards for Airline Elite Status Don’t Bother Elite Travelers

>>Competition is heating up for supersonic travel and Aerion has established an interesting team to speed up high-end business travel. If it works, the glamour of high-speed crossings will finally return, and the world will open up a bit more: Returning to Supersonic: One Company’s Plan to Go Back to the Future

>>Those who fly on American, British, and a dozen other worldwide carriers will soon get better access to Africa with a new partner joining the Oneworld alliance in 2020: Oneworld Airline Alliance’s New Partner Opens Opportunities in Africa

>>This deal is noteworthy because it represents a recent industry shift in the gravity of airline sales efforts. Work that used to happen on computers that interact mainly with travel agencies is now shifting toward computers that mainly power an airline’s brand.com site and other direct sales channels: Amadeus and Points.com Partner to Scale Loyalty Tech for Airlines

>>Skift publishes our annual Megatrends Magazine each January. It’s released through a series of intimate and highly engaging events where Skift editors present themes to our readers and discuss them in live Q&As held in locations in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. RSVP today to claim your spot! RSVP Now for Skift Megatrends Launch Events Around The World