Air Travel & Airline Industry & Business News by Skift

China Aviation Could Disrupt the Boeing-Airbus Duopoly

Adam Minter, Bloomberg

At the least, the new Chinese aircraft and successors could force Boeing and Airbus to make some pricing concessions, and that wouldn't be a bad thing. Competition is good, and the emergence of a new player is even better.

13 hours ago

Hong Kong Airlines Wants to Disrupt Cathay Pacific on Trans-Pacific Routes

Brian Sumers, Skift

We think the last thing the Hong Kong-North America market needs is more capacity. This seems like a shaky idea. But remember, Hong Kong Airlines is controlled by HNA Group, a giant conglomerate with deep pockets. You can't count it out.

20 hours ago

Ryanair’s Pilot Drama and 5 Other Aviation Trends This Week

Sarah Enelow, Skift

This week in aviation, there was talk of bad behavior. Ryanair cancels flights due to poor planning, JetBlue criticizes U.S. airlines over anti-consumer power, and the EU investigates Lufthansa's surcharge.

1 day ago

New Zealand Flight Disruptions Ease as Pipeline Repair Stems Fuel Shortages

Nick Perry, Associated Press

Vacation-planning and business travel can soon get back to normal now that a 10-day fuel crisis has been abated with a pipeline repair. Airlines using Auckland Airport had been supplied with just about 30 percent of their usual fuel allotments.

2 days ago

Tegel Airport’s Fate Will Soon Be Decided by Berliners

Leonid Bershidsky, Bloomberg

We know construction of Berlin's new airport has been a mess. But one thing mentioned less often is that it's far too small to handle the number of passengers expected to visit the city by 2030. This means Berlin probably needs a second airport.

3 days ago

Lufthansa Ad Campaign Ridicules Ryanair Over Pilot Fiasco

Richard Weiss, Bloomberg

In a cheeky ad, Eurowings says passengers should switch to its flights. What goes around comes around: The Irish airline is often the one ridiculing its rivals.

3 days ago

Lufthansa and EasyJet Win Battle to Carve Up Bankrupt Air Berlin

Richard Weiss, Bloomberg

Lufthansa and EasyJet have been flagged as front runners for a while now so this shouldn't come as a surprise. Still, it will be interesting to see how both utilize the assets if their bids are successful.

4 days ago

Norwegian Air’s CEO Dismisses Concerns Over Its Financial Stability

Justin Bachman, Bloomberg

While the Ryanair CEO's comments should be taken with a pinch of salt, there are plenty of others worried about whether Norwegian can continue with its aggressive expansion. We'll know for sure if and when the operating environment takes a turn for the worse.

4 days ago

Ryanair’s Pilot Drama Threatens to Undo Its Goodwill Push

Brian Sumers, Skift

Just before this pilot issue broke, Skift went to Europe to speak with Ryanair's chief marketing officer about how he improved the airline's customer service. Recent events will almost certainly set Ryanair back, but we think it can recover — if only because people like cheap fares.

5 days ago

Some U.S. Lawmakers Balk at Privatizing the Air Traffic Control System

Joan Lowy, Associated Press

Several major airline CEOs, including American's Doug Parker and JetBlue's Robin Hayes, have been in D.C. this month to offer support for air traffic control reform. And someday, it might even happen. But it does not appear imminent.

5 days ago

Airline Fares Drop but Airlines Make Up for It With Bag Fees, Report Finds

Joan Lowy, Associated Press

We don't begrudge airlines for bag fees. They're not a public utility. They have shareholders, and their mission is to make profits. Bag fees help them do that.

5 days ago

American Airlines Plans to Keep Prices Low on Competitive Routes

Mary Schlangenstein, Bloomberg

The Great Fare War of 2017 will continue for the foreseeable future. Get those cheap tickets while you can, folks. You might never see fares this low again.

6 days ago