| Unite has announced it will ballot British Airways (BA) cabin crew next week for further strike action.The ballot will run between 21 December and 21 January and could cause strikes for the airline from as early as 28 January. The long running dispute between the airline and union is centred on perks and wages that were docked from crew following strikes earlier this year, as well as threats and a change to job terms that were supposedly put forward by the carrier. Tony Woodley, joint general secretary of Unite, said British Airways had handled the dispute ‘badly’ and said it was open to talks. “British Airways knows what it must do to end this dispute,” said Woodley. “Four of the five outstanding issues are no cost issues for the airline and are about treating cabin crew with dignity, respect and ending the climate of persecution. The fifth item is about stopping BA from imposing a near minimum waged workforce and killing their brand.” Yesterday, BA called the ballot a ‘grossly disproportionate response’ to Unite’s ongoing issues with the airline. “Unite struck a deal in October and reneged on it,” a statement from the British carrier said. “The union agreed last week to hold further talks with us, but has instead issued a strike ballot. We have put forward very fair proposals that enable our existing Heathrow crew to remain the best rewarded in the UK airline industry. Despite the difficult economic conditions we have faced, we have made savings in ways that have avoided compulsory redundancies.” Jet2.com has announced that it will operate a new schedule of flights from Edinburgh to Malaga in summer 2011. The schedule, which is the airline’s 16th route, will commence on 2 April and is on sale now. “Malaga is the most requested destination from Edinburgh Airport, so as an airline that is committed to providing our customers with flights to destinations they want to visit, at
low fares, we are pleased to have added it to our schedule,” said Ian Doubtfire, managing director of Jet2.com. “Our friendly flight times mean that people can make the most of their holiday and hit the beach or golf course on the day they arrive.” Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) has announced a new codeshare agreement with its Star Alliance partner, Egyptair. The new partnership will see Egyptair place its two-letter code on SAS flights from Copenhagen to Brussels, Gothenburg, Oslo and Stockholm, while SAS will place its indicator on the Egyptian carrier’s service between Copenhagen and Cairo. KLM has announced plans to launch a fourth daily service from the UK’s Bristol Airport to Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport for summer 2011. From 27 March 2011, the Dutch carrier’s flights will depart the UK’s western hub at 6.10am, 8.55am, 2.15pm and 5.10pm, using KLM’s Fokker 70 aircraft.
German national carrier Lufthansa has refurbished its airplane interiors by installing 32,000 seats on more than 180 aircraft in its short and medium haul fleet. The new, ergonomically shaped seats now have more than four centimetres of extra legroom for passengers. As part of the new inflight service concept, passengers travelling in Economy Class will also be offered snacks such as muesli bars and chocolate, even on domestic routes. “With our new, more comfortable seats, completely revamped cabin and enhanced inflight service, we are setting new standards on European routes,” said Thierry Antinori, member of the Lufthansa German Airlines Board. As the newly designed Recaro seats take up less room than the previous seats, up to two additional rows of seats have also been installed on each aircraft. In total, Lufthansa has invested nearly €170 million in its new cabin revamp. Jet2.com has introduced in-flight entertainment to its aircraft services. The Bradford–based airline now offers paid-for films, TV shows, music and games on its entertainment units, which are available for flights of four hours or more. The systems can be booked online or hired onboard for £10 per sector or part of a bundle. “The content is on demand so customers can watch what they want, when they want and have the freedom to pause, rewind or fast forward,” said Paul Humphreys, retail director of Jet2. Airbus has predicted that air passenger traffic will increase 4.8 percent by 2029 as part of the company’s 20-year forecast. The airplane maker has also revealed it is set to deliver 26,000 aircraft over the next 20 years - an increase of 900 from its original estimate. The company also expects sales to be boosted by an increase in Asian low-cost airlines. “Demand for travel is doubling every 15 years... but in places like India and China we expect it to double in the next six years,” said Airbus sales chief John Leahy. Demand is also said to be rising in the Middle East and South America.
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