Aviation

Why LATAM retired its entire A350s fleet?

Why LATAM retired its entire A350s fleet? : LATAM Airline Group plans to retires its entire fleet of A350s immediately. LATAM is one of the largest airline in Latin America with fleet size of 303 aircraft.

LATAM Airline Group filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the United States on May 26, 2020 due to economic problem by impact of the Covid-19 and in September 2019, Delta bought 20% stake in LATAM Airline for $1.9 billion. In January 2020, LATAM announced its leaves Oneworld alliance.

The airline originally ordered 22 A350s but half of those order cancelled in 2020, Delta committed to buy the A350 but later backed out and paid $62 million to undo the deal. LATAM have 11 A350s and its fleet’s average age is just 3.2 Years, according to Planespotters.net.

After this announcement of retiring its A350s, the LATAM will operate Boeing aircraft on all long haul routes. LATAM Brazil have 10 B777-300ER with average age of 10 years and 13 B767-300ER with average age of 8.4 years.

Instead of selling the older Boeing aircraft, LATAM came with a solution by returning its newest A350s to lessors under bankruptcy settlements.

Aviation

This airline will be billed $790 for each customer complaint resolved

In a bold move to streamline passenger complaint resolution, Canada’s transport regulator has proposed a new policy that would charge airlines $790 CAD (~$583 USD) for each customer complaint it resolves.

This initiative, announced by the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA), aims to alleviate the agency’s record-high backlog of air travel complaints, currently sitting at approximately 78,000 cases.

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On Wednesday, the CTA launched a one-month consultation period to gather feedback on these proposed reforms, which would apply to valid customer complaints that the agency processes and settles. According to the agency, it anticipates resolving over 22,600 complaints annually, translating to about $17.9 million in fees levied against airlines.

The government hopes to recoup approximately 60% of the costs associated with handling these complaints, which are projected to reach $29.8 million annually. The bulk of these expenses stems from salaries and benefits for the agency’s resolution officers.

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Critics of the proposal, including passenger rights advocate Gabor Lukacs, argue that the measure may not be sufficient to deter airlines from rule-breaking, stating it comes “too little, too late.” The CTA contends that the fee structure aims to provide a financial disincentive for airlines, potentially leading to improved compliance and better service for travelers.

The CTA’s proposal underscores the ongoing frustrations faced by passengers in Canada’s air travel system, as the demand for more effective complaint resolution processes continues to rise amid unprecedented travel disruptions.