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☆ Airline executives predict a record summer and even more demand for first class
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Leslie Josephs | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

While the aviation industry has been in the spotlight lately for a host of safety issues, airline executives say there is no sign of slowing demand for flights. United Airlines "as an airline and as an industry" will carry record numbers of travelers this summer, the carrier's Chief Commercial Officer Andrew Nocella said on an earnings call Wednesday. "Demand continues to be strong, and we see a record spring and summer travel season with our 11 highest sales days in our history all occurring this calendar year," Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian said on his company's call a week earlier. Customers appear willing to pay up for first class and other cabins above standard coach, executives said. Some of those carriers have struggled in recent months because of higher capacity, limited airplane availability and higher costs.

Persons: Andrew Nocella, Ed Bastian, Nocella Organizations: United Airlines, Air, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Boeing, Federal Aviation Administration, . Airlines Locations: Delta, United

A rebound in Asia is especially important for airlines where long-haul travel makes up a bigger mix of revenue. Travel spending in Asia Pacific is set to grow 41% this year to $567 billion, and rise to $800 billion by 2027, according to data from the Global Business Travel Association. The planned capacity, which has not been previously reported, is a strong rebound from 2022, when the carrier's Asia-Pacific traffic was 33% of 2019 levels. Travel to Asia is also a source of high-margin revenue at a time when soaring labor and fuel costs are pressuring profit and domestic fares are declining. Across the border, Air Canada said the increase in Asia Pacific capacity would more than double its overall system growth.

Persons: Toby Melville, Andrew Nocella, Mark Galardo, Galardo, Raymond James, Savanthi Syth, Allison Lampert, Rajesh Kumar Singh, Ben Klayman, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Heathrow Airport, REUTERS, Rights, Carriers, Business, Global Business Travel Association, Air, Reuters, United Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Asia Pacific, United, Delta, Tourism Economics, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Rights MONTREAL, CHICAGO, Asia, Pacific, Europe, Asia Pacific, U.S, United States, Atlanta, Manila, Philippines, San Francisco, New Zealand, Chicago, Air Canada, Air Canada's Vancouver, Canada, North America, Ukraine, Hong Kong, East Coast, Newark , New Jersey, Toronto, China, Montreal

☆ Delta walks back some changes to airport lounge access, loyalty program after customer complaints
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( Leslie Josephs | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Delta Air Lines on Wednesday walked back some of the broad restrictions it placed on access to its popular airport lounges and trimmed thresholds to earn elite status after complaints from customers. Delta CEO Ed Bastian said in late September that the airline went "too far" with its changes. Delta has been grappling with how to handle swarms of elite frequent flyers and high-fee credit card holders that caused long lines and crowding at the clubs. Following the Covid-19 pandemic, airlines have grappled with how to best reward frequent flyers who returned in droves after spending heavily and racking up miles on rewards cards, even when they weren't traveling. "We very much believe in never causing a situation where everyone has a premier status which obviously results in no one receiving an adequate level of premier benefits," United Airlines chief commercial officer Andrew Nocella said on an earnings call Wednesday.

Persons: Ed Bastian, what's, Delta, Andrew Nocella Organizations: Delta Air Lines, Delta, Sky Clubs, American Express, United Airlines

A United Airlines Airbus A319-100 jet takes off from Washington National Airport in Washington, U.S., August 9, 2017. The latest order is the second major aircraft purchase by United over the past year. In December, it unveiled a huge order of 100 Boeing 787 Dreamliners and 100 737 MAXs. The large 787 order is likely to raise further questions about the future of outstanding United orders for 45 Airbus A350s which have already been deferred to at least 2030. Nocella said while A350 is a "great machine" and there is no change in the company's order, United is focused on its 787 fleet in the short-run.

Persons: Joshua Roberts, Andrew Nocella, Nocella, It's, Valerie Insinna, Rajesh Kumar Singh, Mehr Bedi, Tim Hepher, David Shepardson, Shounak Dasgupta, William Maclean, Bernadette Baum, David Gregorio, Aurora Ellis Organizations: United Airlines Airbus, Washington National Airport, REUTERS, United Airlines, Tuesday, Boeing, Airbus, Reuters, Air Canada, Air France, KLM, U.S, United, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Chicago, United, North America, U.S, Washington, Bengaluru

☆ United Airlines buys 110 additional Boeing, Airbus jets into the 2030s with delivery slots scarce
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Leslie Josephs | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

United Airlines is ordering 110 additional Boeing and Airbus jetliners, locking in a supply of new planes into the next decade as strong demand and supply chain challenges make new delivery slots scarce. "We would not normally order jets this far out," United's chief commercial officer, Andrew Nocella, told reporters Tuesday. "Production lines, which are now regularly plagued by supply-chain disruptions and delivery delays, are also increasingly sold out for the entire decade." United added options for 40 more Airbus A321s. The airline said it expects an average of more than 145 seats per North American departure in 2027, up 40% from 2019.

Persons: Andrew Nocella Organizations: Boeing, Airbus, United Locations: Chicago

☆ Focus: Shifting trends in travel demand bedevil US airlines
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Rajesh Kumar Singh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

But travel patterns are shifting so often, partly due to work-life changes wrought by the pandemic, that airlines must constantly adapt on booking plane seats and remain cautious in forecasting demand and revenue. American Airlines (AAL.O) Chief Financial Officer Devon May attributed the challenge to the difficulty in forecasting demand. Worries about future demand were a reason American Airlines' stock fell 6% on Thursday even after it raised its full-year earnings forecast. It was a risky bet as booking data from the previous quarter had shown customers were booking trips well in advance. Delta said Southern Europe's summer travel season is now longer than it used to be, prompting the airline to adjust its network.

Persons: Devon, We're, United, United's, Andrew Nocella, Henry Harteveldt, Harteveldt, Rahul Sen Sharma, Sharma, Ed Bastian, Delta, Glen Hauenstein, Rajesh Kumar Singh, Ben Klayman, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Consumers, American Airlines, Reuters, United Airlines, Atmosphere Research, Airlines, Air Lines, Thomson Locations: Southern, Chicago

☆ I saw the Airbus A321XLR make its air show debut and I'm convinced it'll be a game changer for the airline industry
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-01 | by ( Taylor Rains | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The Airbus A321XLR is the European planemaker's latest narrowbody airliner built to fly up to 11 hours nonstop. Airlines are buying up the A321XLR as a prime replacement aircraft for aging jets like the Boeing 757. The star of the biennial event was the Airbus A321XLR, which made its air show debut on June 19 to much fanfare. The A321XLR can open new routes thanks to its extra fuel tankThe first rear center fuel tank from Premium Aerotec for the Airbus A321XLR. The XLR will offer enhanced comfort and economicsAn Airbus A321XLR rendering.

Persons: I've, Jason Reisinger, Reisinger, Andrew Nocella, Ronojoy Dutta Organizations: Airbus, Boeing, Morning, Paris Air Show, Icelandair's, Airlines, United, East Airlines, JetBlue, IndiGo, Qantas, AirAsia X, Sky Airline, Czech Airlines Locations: European, Boston, London, York, Reykjavik, Raleigh , North Carolina, Charlotte, New York, Paris, United, Malaysian, Chile, India, Europe, Southeast Asia, New Delhi, Seoul, Mumbai, Amsterdam

☆ United Airlines' plan to revamp narrow-body cabins faces supply chain delays
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Leslie Josephs | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

United Airlines ' plan to revamp the cabins on its older narrow-body planes is running behind schedule because of supply chain strains, the carrier told CNBC this week. The upgrades include bigger premium cabins, seat-back entertainment screens throughout the planes, Bluetooth capabilities and other amenities. The carrier expects about one in three aircraft in its narrow-body fleet, including new aircraft, will have the upgraded interior by the end of the year. The airline had targeted 2025 to complete the narrow-body upgrades, but it's unclear if United will make that goal. Delta executives have said that revenue growth for premium seats like business class or premium economy has outpaced sales from standard coach.

Online searches by Americans for flights to Europe trips are surging despite soaring air fares, a worsening economic outlook and risks of gridlock at some of the airports in Europe. The travel boom is promising record profit margins at some U.S. carriers, which are ramping up transatlantic capacity to cash in on Americans' thirst for travel to Europe. Travel website Kayak said searches for travel to Europe this summer are up 77% from last year. There is still untapped travel demand for Europe even after a busy summer last year, said Hayley Berg, lead economist at Hopper. Average fare for a round-trip flight to Europe, meanwhile, has risen 31% from last year, Hopper data shows.

Industry data show business travellers are taking longer trips than before COVID-19, leaving airlines adjusting flight plans. Qantas Airways Ltd (QAN.AX) and Virgin Australia say higher airfares have so far offset any revenue impact from fewer business trips. Ajit Chouhan, a Texas-based human resources executive, used to go on one-day business trips to San Francisco at least once a month before the pandemic. "If I'm on a business trip, do I want to stay an extra day if my partner's at home?" One-day journeys accounted for around 4% of domestic business trips globally in 2019, according to CWT data, versus 3% now.

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