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The Threat of a Boeing 737 Max Regulatory Rift and 6 Other Aviation Trends this Week


Skift Take

This week in aviation, the approval process of the grounded Boeing jets might might not be so seamless, the nationalism of European politics shows signs of spilling over into its airlines, and Delta CEO Ed Bastian discusses his long-term China plan.
Series: Jet Stream Newsletter

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Global Airlines Worry About Havoc Caused by a Boeing 737 Max Regulatory Rift: Regardless of how you feel about the handling of the Boeing 737 Max, this is a big issue. Airlines have always assumed global regulators would reach the same conclusions about aircraft safety. Now they’re not so sure, and that could cause longer-term issues.

European Governments See Renewed Importance of National Airlines: European governments once believed they could rely on the market to ensure their links to the outside world. But many are starting to become more protective of their national airlines. In many ways, it is a return to the past.

Delta Air Lines CEO Says China Revenues Are Up Despite Trade Rhetoric: Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian is the second U.S. airline CEO in a week to tell Skift the China market is performing fine for passenger demand. Will it last?

JetBlue Senior Executive Marty St. George Is Leaving the Airline: Thirteen years is a long time to stay at one corporation. Perhaps JetBlue needs some fresh blood. Or maybe Chief Commericial Officer Marty St. George just wants a change of pace.

Air France-KLM CEO Says Company Would Consider Buying a Competitor: The Air France-KLM merger has been a textbook example of how hard it is to meld corporate cultures. But CEO Ben Smith isn’t letting that deter him from taking a look at new acquisitions. Too soon?

Lufthansa Will Be First European Airline to Adopt Dynamic Pricing for Award Seats: Award seats on Lufthansa will soon be priced according to market demand instead of a strict tiered system. Not all passengers are happy.

American Express Removes Free Airport Lounge Meal Benefit From Platinum Cards: A key benefit that many road warriors love about the American Express Platinum card is evaporating later this summer.

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