Airlines

Iberia boosts its flight offer in Latin America and United states

Iberia will consolidate its post-pandemic recovery in the summer of 2023, focusing on its long-haul markets: Latin America and the United States.

For the airline industry, the summer season begins on March 25^th and runs until October 28^th, six months in which Iberia’s main focus will be on Latin America. Following the recovery of its entire network of destinations, the airline has programmed capacity increases in its most strategic markets in this region, as well as deploying marketing campaigns and other communication, public relations and sponsorship actions to increase its brand awareness in the 16 Latin American countries where it flies.

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In the summer season, Iberia will recover its full range of pre-pandemic flights and even increase its operations by 2% compared to 2019 levels, which will be 5% for the year as a whole. Specifically, it will offer around 280 weekly flights to 18 destinations in 16 Latin American countries:

Bogotá: it has grown from 10 to 14 frequencies; from June, it will operate 18 frequencies and the company’s aim is to offer 21 frequencies – three daily flights – from November.

Buenos Aires: Consolidation of two daily flights to Argentina’s capital.

Lima: Iberia goes from seven to 10 frequencies from June until the end of the year, with the intention of reaching two daily flights.

Montevideo: From January, Iberia offers up to seven weekly frequencies, which will be maintained for most of the year.

Rio de Janeiro: Continuation of the operation with three weekly frequencies, in addition to another seven with Sao Paulo.

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In Central America, the increase to a daily flight on the Guatemala-El Salvador route, which took place in December, was consolidated, as was the increase to a daily flight on the San José route in Costa Rica. Panama will have between five and seven weekly frequencies throughout the summer, and daily flights from November onwards.

In the Caribbean, Havana will have five frequencies from September, Santo Domingo will consolidate its pre-pandemic operation with a daily flight, and Puerto Rico will reach six weekly frequencies in July and August.

In the US, Iberia will recover its summer routes to Washington DC and San Francisco. In addition, from June, it will increase its daily flights to Dallas. In total, it has scheduled nearly 20% more flights to the US than in 2019: up to 124 weekly flights between Spain and eight destinations in the United States. Specifically:

New York: Twice daily flights from March, continuing beyond the summer season until the end of the year.

Miami: Twice-daily flights will be maintained throughout the year.

Chicago: Daily flights from March through December

Boston: Daily flights from April to October

Dallas: Iberia operated this route throughout the winter -it was initially launched as seasonal last June with four weekly frequencies- and from April it will increase to five frequencies, to six in May, and will reach a daily flight from June to October.

Los Angeles: This route will have four frequencies in April, increasing to five from May to October, and Iberia will operate it with its largest aircraft, the Airbus A350s, with a capacity for 359 passengers.

Washington DC: Iberia will operate this route again from April to October with four weekly frequencies.

San Francisco: This seasonal route returns from May to October with three weekly frequencies.

Airlines

Turkish Airlines in Talks for New Planes, with New MRO Facility

Turkish Airlines is set to embark on a significant expansion journey, eyeing the acquisition of 235 new aircraft from both Airbus and Boeing.

Chairman Ahmet Bolat recently disclosed this development, emphasizing the airline’s commitment to balanced engagement with both major aircraft manufacturers. This move comes in the wake of Turkish Airlines‘ ambitious 10-year fleet plan, unveiled last year, which aims for a substantial increase in its fleet size by nearly 600 planes. As reported by Reuters.

In December, the airline solidified a substantial portion of this plan by securing a deal with Airbus for 355 firm and optional orders, encompassing A321 narrow body and A350 wide body aircraft.

During an event in Istanbul attended by representatives from Airbus and Rolls-Royce, Bolat underscored the airline’s strategy of maintaining equilibrium between Airbus and Boeing. He also highlighted Turkish Airlines’ patience in awaiting resolution of Boeing’s challenges before finalizing its decision.

Moreover, Bolat revealed discussions with Rolls-Royce regarding the potential establishment of maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) capabilities within Türkiye, along with exploring additional avenues for supply-chain sourcing.

Recently, Turkish Airlines is set to redefine luxury air travel with the introduction of its next-generation business class suite, codenamed “Crystal,” slated for release in 2025. These luxurious private suites will first be introduced on the Boeing 777 fleet, with plans to expand to Airbus A350-1000 jets in the future.

The Crystal Suites will feature private compartments with sliding doors, offering passengers an intimate and secluded space to relax and work during their journey. Boasting a 1-2-1 configuration, each seat will provide direct aisle access, ensuring maximum convenience for travelers.

Airlines

Singapore Airlines Ordered to Pay $3,580 to Couple over Faulty Seats

Image:Wikipedia

Following a dispute over defective seats during their voyage from India to Australia last year, Singapore Airlines (SIA) has been compelled to pay a sum exceeding S$3,500 to an Indian couple.

The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission in Hyderabad ruled in favour of Ravi and Anjali Gupta, who on May 23, 2023, had problems with their business class seats that were meant to automatically recline on their flight from Hyderabad to Australia via Singapore.

Reports from media outlets in India highlighted the discomfort experienced by the couple, who were compelled to endure the entire journey without the benefit of reclining seats, despite having paid a significant amount which cost around 66,750 rupees (S$1,090) for each ticket, lodged a complaint during the flight, expressing their dissatisfaction with the situation.

Singapore Airlines initially offered compensation in the form of 10,000 KrisFlyer miles per person, which was declined by the passengers. As reported by CNA, Singapore Airlines apologised for any difficulty the technical failure may have caused and acknowledged the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission of Hyderabad’s ruling.

SIA clarified that while the automatic recline feature on Mr. and Mrs. Gupta’s seats experienced a glitch, the manual recline function remained operational during the flight from Hyderabad to Singapore.

Regrettably, due to a fully occupied flight, SIA staff were unable to arrange alternative seating within the business class cabin. However, the airline asserts that its crew diligently monitored the couple’s comfort throughout the journey, offering to manually adjust the seats as needed.

Airlines

Cathay Pacific asks business class customers to bring their own cutlery

In an innovative move towards sustainability, renowned Hong Kong carrier Cathay Pacific has recently floated an unconventional idea to its business class customers.

Bringing their own cutlery sets onboard. This initiative, revealed through a member survey circulated within the airline’s “Cathay Lab” community – a platform comprising frequent business class travelers – has stirred a wave of curiosity within the aviation industry.

With sustainability becoming an increasing concern in aviation, Cathay Pacific’s survey aimed to gauge passengers‘ willingness to partake in various eco-friendly practices during their journeys.

Among the initiatives presented, including refilling reusable water bottles and recycling plastic, the prospect of bringing personal cutlery garnered significant attention. Some members expressed practical concerns, questioning the feasibility of carrying cutlery through airport security and the potential inconvenience for passengers unaware of regulations.

Others suggested that Cathay Pacific should simply provide reusable cutlery onboard instead. Furthermore, there were suspicions among some respondents that the BYO cutlery proposal might be a precursor to introducing additional charges, with one user humorously envisioning a scenario where the airline lends cutlery sets for a fee.

Despite the skepticism surrounding the proposal, Cathay Pacific’s exploration of innovative sustainability measures reflects a broader industry trend towards environmental consciousness.