air transport

On 1 January 2021, a new open skies agreement between the United Kingdom and the United States will come into force. It will replace the existing Open Skies agreement between the European Union and the United States, which until now has included the United Kingdom. Ireland's national carrier Aer Lingus is seizing this opportunity and plans to strengthen its position...

Sounds like a Christmas present. According to the consultant OAG, which analyses airlines' capacity on a week-by-week basis, the week of 21 December saw the total number of seats offered flirt with 61 million. This represents a week-on-week increase of 1.8%. Such a figure has not been seen since...

As announced over the weekend, Boris Johnson's government has decided to apply even stricter containment measures. The reason: the discovery of a new, more contagious variant of the virus. A new danger level, labelled '4', now applies to London and the south-east of England. All travel is banned in this zone, while...

For almost a year now, many travellers have been grounded. Whether due to regulatory constraints at various levels, or a psychological barrier linked to the health risk, they have all had to review their priorities and reconsider whether or not their travel, particularly by air, is imperative. That's why the Pegasus Chair has turned its attention...

IATA has just revealed in a study that Covid has profoundly changed air connectivity in the world's major cities. The number of city-to-city connections has declined from over 19,300 to fewer than 6,800 in April 2020. The pandemic has led to an upsurge in...

Southwest Airlines seems to be taking advantage of the reduction in frequencies and destinations of the major traditional carriers at their hubs. Southwest is already present in all the major American cities, but on alternative hubs. It is the leading carrier in Baltimore/Washington, Chicago-Midway, Dallas-Love Field, Houston-Hobby and New York-La Guardia. Southwest...

A lifeline for air traffic weighed down by the Covid pandemic? That's what European airports, particularly in France, are hoping for with the launch of antigenic tests to detect Covid. The antigen test is carried out in the same way as a PCR test, using swabs taken from the nostrils....

The shower on board the Airbus A380 in First Class is probably Emirates' most emblematic service feature. Both the shower and the in-flight lounge are returning to the A380 and B777 aircraft in a redesigned in-flight experience that incorporates reinforced hygiene instructions. While taking a...

The oneworld global airline alliance is preparing to welcome a new member, Alaska Airlines, on 31 March. The carrier will be the second North American airline in the group with American Airlines and the 15th oneworld member. The integration of the carrier has been postponed by several months. It was originally due to take place in the fourth quarter of this year. The...

The Finnish carrier specialising in the Europe/Asia segment will operate only 25%s in the winter 2019 schedule. This translates into an average of 75 flights per day instead of 350 flights last year during the same period. Finnair has reduced its flight schedule for the winter season in line with demand...

For 73 years, it symbolised Italy around the world. On 9 October this year, Alitalia officially went out of business. It will be replaced by a new entity, ITA -Italia Trasporti Aereo. It is not yet certain whether this name will ultimately be retained. What is certain, however, is that Alitalia...

Business travel is adrift with covid-19. And the few "travel bubbles" are not changing the situation dramatically. While we wait for a hypothetical vaccine, a number of big names in the industry are working on a way to revive the travel business. For example, there is a pilot project for a digital health passport, the...

Losses in the hotel industry estimated at 70% in 2020 and passenger traffic in Budapest at around five million passengers instead of 16.2 million in 2019. In just a few figures, this is what the covid-19 pandemic is doing to Hungary's travel industry. In this respect, the country is hardly any different from its neighbours...

French-speaking Europe is particularly well served by British Airways' expansion programme. The airline has just reopened its flights to Brussels and Luxembourg. The Belgian capital is once again served by an average of three daily frequencies since October 1. Since 2 October, Luxembourg has benefited from 11 flights a week, offering a round trip...

At the beginning of September, Swiss was still planning to offer seat capacity equivalent to 50% of that for the 2019/2020 winter season. The second wave of covid-19, which includes new travel and quarantine restrictions, will have decided otherwise. Swiss has just published its winter schedules. And if the carrier...

IATA, ACI-Europe (Airports Council International) and A4E (Airlines for Europe) are calling on the European Union to restore freedom of movement within the continent. Mandatory quarantines in particular are being targeted. As the world enters the final quarter of 2020, the outlook for air transport remains just as mediocre. According to IATA figures,...

Up to 40% of additional flights from December until the beginning of January and 12% of additional capacity from the start of the winter schedules on 25 October: Brussels Airlines is favouring its favourite continent, Africa, in its winter schedules. The continent is an essential element in the Belgian airline's positioning. In...

It's a timid arrival for Vueling on French domestic routes, but it's a symbolic one. IAG's low-cost - or hybrid, depending on your sensibilities - subsidiary has just announced the launch of three domestic routes from Orly. Brest, Montpellier and Marseille will each have two flights a week, on Fridays and Sundays....

To restore a certain degree of normality to air transport, Alexandre de Juniac, Director General of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), explained during a media briefing that all passengers on international routes should be tested for covid-19 before departure. IATA is calling for a rapid solution that is accessible to all....

At the end of last week, Emirates confirmed its return to the French regions for its winter timetable, which begins on 25 October. From December 2, it will be offering four weekly frequencies by Boeing 777-300ER to Lyon instead of the daily flight it operated last year. To Nice, Emirates will be relaunching its...