ATAG: The collapse of global air travel due to COVID-19 is putting 46 million jobs at risk

Air Transport Action Group (ATAG) issued this statement:

The severe downturn in air traffic this year caused by Covid-19, followed by a slow recovery will result in a loss of up to 46 million jobs normally supported by aviation around the globe, according to new industry figures released today.

Under normal circumstances, aviation and the tourism it facilitates supports 87.7 million jobs worldwide. Over 11 million jobs are within the sector itself, employed at airlines, airports, civil aerospace manufacturers and air traffic management. The near total shutdown of the system for several months, as well as the stop / start nature of the reopening means that air travel will not recover to pre-Covid levels until around 2024.

Executive Director of the cross-industry Air Transport Action Group, Michael Gill said: “With the expectation that we will see less than half the passenger traffic this year than we carried in 2019, we know that a lot of jobs in air transport and the wider economy relying on aviation are at risk. Some companies are already making difficult decisions, with many colleagues being impacted by the downturn.

“Our analysis shows that up to 4.8 million jobs in aviation may be lost by the beginning of next year, a 43% reduction from pre-Covid levels. When you expand those effects across all the jobs aviation would normally support, 46 million jobs are at risk. These include highly-skilled aviation roles, the wider tourism jobs impacted by the lack of air travel and employment throughout the supply chain in construction, catering supplies, professional services and all the other things required to run a global transport system.

“It is absolutely incumbent on governments to do whatever they can to help the sector get back on its feet so we can bring back those jobs and that economic activity. And this must go beyond schemes to support employment. Passengers and businesses need certainty around travel – not to be subject to random quarantine declarations and constantly changing lists of acceptable and unacceptable destinations.

“We know it is tough to make these decisions. But as testing improves and the prospect of a vaccine becomes clearer, we hope that more stability in the travel environment also leads to a more stable return to the wider economic role of air transport.”

Key facts outlined in Aviation: Benefits Beyond Borders, include that in a normal year:

Air transport supports 87.7 million jobs and $3.5 trillion in global economic activity.
Over 11 million people work directly for the industry itself. Aviation jobs are, on average, 4.3 times more productive than other jobs in the economy.
Air travel carries 35% of world trade by value ($6.5 trillion worth in 2019), but less than 1% by volume (61 million tonnes in 2019).
Airfares today are around 90% lower than the same journey would have cost in 1950 – this has enabled access to air travel by greater sections of the population.Scope of the industry: 1,478 airlines flew 33,299 aircraft on 48,000 routes between 3,780 airports in airspace managed by 162 air navigation service providers.
58% of world tourists travel to their destinations by air.

Impact of Covid-19:

Aviation-supported jobs potentially fall by 46 million to 41.7 million (-52.5%)
Direct aviation jobs (at airlines, airports, manufacturers and air traffic management) fall by 4.8 million (a 43% reduction compared with pre-Covid situation)
Nearly 39,200 special repatriation flights took nearly 5.4 million citizens home after borders closed in March 2020.
Nearly 46,400 special cargo flights transported 1.5 million tonnes of cargo, mostly medical equipment, to areas in need during the height of the pandemic response

The report, which can be downloaded at www.aviationbenefits.org, was prepared by ATAG along with other global aviation industry associations and builds on extensive research by Oxford Economics.

British Airways increases October schedule to more short and long haul destinations

British Airways has made this announcement:

British Airways is increasing the number of destinations it serves with a larger timetable of flights for its customers.

From today, long haul services will begin to Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Bahrain. Flights to winter sun favourite Grenada are scheduled to return on 14 October while flights to the Seychelles are scheduled to return on 16 October.

Lahore, a new addition to British Airways’ route network, begins on 12 October while new Heathrow services to the Maldives and Barbados launch on 16 and 17 October respectively.

Looking at short haul, Brussels, Dublin, Dusseldorf, Gothenburg, Milan Linate, Stuttgart, Seville and Valencia return today. Bilbao, Kefalonia and Luxembourg return tomorrow and Lanzarote returns on Saturday. Later in the month, services will resume to destinations including, Gran Canaria, Billund, Bordeaux, Basel, Brindisi, Cologne, Malta, Salzburg, Vienna and Zagreb.

Flights start from just £24 each way to Europe and low prices can be found here. British Airways Holidays also has a series of tempting packages available, more details are at the end of the release.

Neil Chernoff, British Airways’ Director of Network and Alliances, said: “We’re glad to be returning to more destinations this month, connecting the UK with more and more countries around the world. With increases in both long and short haul services, there is a destination for anyone, and with our enhanced safety measures we hope this encourages people to start planning their next getaway.”

As always, the operation of any flights is subject to international restrictions and government approval.

Customers can travel in absolute confidence knowing that safety is at the heart of British Airways’ business. The airline has introduced a range of measures, which it requires customers and crew abide by. These include:

checking-in online, downloading their boarding pass and where possible self-scanning their boarding passes at the departure gate where possible
observing social distancing and using hand sanitisers that are placed throughout airports
wearing a facemask at all times and bringing enough to replace them every four hours for longer flights
asking customers not to travel if they think they have any symptoms of Covid-19
cabin crew wearing PPE and a new food service, which reduces the number of interactions required with customers
asking customers to ensure they have everything they need from their hand luggage before departure, and where possible, storing their carry-on bag under the seat in front of them
providing customers with a personal protection pack including a sealable disposal bag, hand sanitising gel and an antibacterial wipe.

The airline is cleaning all key surfaces including seats, screens, seat buckles and tray tables after every flight and each aircraft is completely cleaned from nose to tail every day. The air on all British Airways flights is fully recycled once every two to three minutes through HEPA filters, which remove microscopic bacteria and virus clusters with over 99.9% efficiency, equivalent to hospital operating theatre standards.

British Airways aircraft photo gallery (Airbus):

Hawaiian Airlines expands pre-travel COVID-19 testing options with convenient at-home service

Hawaiian Airlines today began offering travelers visiting or returning to the Hawaiian Islands from the U.S. mainland a pre-travel COVID-19 test they can take from the comfort of their home to qualify to be exempt from the state of Hawai‘i quarantine.

Hawaiian’s guests can order the $150 mail-in saliva test online through Vault Health. The test kit, which is available for travelers of all ages including children, will be express mailed overnight to guests who will self-collect their sample with assistance from a testing supervisor in a video call. The kit is express shipped overnight to Vault’s lab, which will process and analyze the sample and provide travelers their results electronically within 24 hours.

Beginning Oct. 15, travelers with a negative COVID-19 test taken at a state-approved testing facility within 72 hours of the final leg of departure will be exempt from Hawai‘i’s 14-day quarantine upon arrival.

“We are excited to offer our guests at any of our U.S. mainland gateway cities a convenient way to take a pre-travel COVID-19 test that meets the state of Hawai‘i’s requirements, and we look forward to welcoming them onboard and to our islands soon,” said Avi Mannis, senior vice president of marketing at Hawaiian Airlines. “In addition to expanding testing availability and options, we have adopted comprehensive health and safety protocols throughout the travel journey to protect our guests, employees and community.”

“We’re happy to provide quick, accurate COVID-19 test results to Hawaiian Airlines guests,” said Vault Health Founder and CEO Jason Feldman. “The test is easy to take at home, pain-free, and limits exposure or use of personal protective equipment. We provide comfort in having you know your status from your own home, before travel.”

Hawaiian’s new at-home COVID-19 test option, facilitated by Vault Health, adds to the carrier’s partnership with Worksite Labs that will provide guests exclusive access to drive-through PCR testing ($90 for results within 36 hours, or $150 for day-of-travel express service) from dedicated, conveniently located labs near Los Angeles (LAX) and San Francisco (SFO) international airports, with more testing locations coming soon to its other U.S. mainland gateways.

Details about testing options for Hawaiian’s guests are available here.

Hawaiian’s comprehensive health and safety program covers all aspects of the travel journey, starting at check-in, when guests must complete a health acknowledgment form indicating they are free of COVID-19 symptoms and will wear an adequate face mask or covering at the airport and during the flight. Guests 2 years of age and older who are unable to wear a face mask or covering due to a medical condition or disability must undergo a health screening to board.

Hawaiian’s “Keeping you Safe” enhanced cleaning includes frequent disinfecting of lobby areas, kiosks, and ticket counters, electrostatic aircraft cabin spraying, plexiglass barriers at staffed airport counters, and sanitizer wipe distribution to all guests. The carrier, which has been operating a reduced schedule since March due to the pandemic and resulting travel restrictions, will continue to cap cabin capacity at 70 percent through Dec. 15 to allow for onboard distancing.

Hawaiian Airlines aircraft photo gallery:

Brussels Airlines expands its schedule to Africa

Brussels Airlines has made this announcement:

Brussels Airlines to operate 42 medium haul routes and 16 long haul routes during the winter season 2020/2021 (October 25 until March 27)
Up till 40% more flights to and from Africa
Extra flights during winter holidays to Banjul, Bujumbura, Dakar, Douala, Entebbe, Freetown, Kigali, Kinshasa, Monrovia and Yaoundé
Daily flights to Abidjan

Intercontinental network

At the start of the winter season, 14 destinations will be included in the airline’s intercontinental offer, with a sole focus on Africa. The airline will expand its offer with 12% as of October 25, 2020 . As of this winter, Brussels Airlines will fly to Abidjan on a daily base. During winter holidays, extra frequencies will be added to Banjul, Bujumbura, Dakar, Douala, Entebbe, Freetown, Kigali, Kinshasa, Monrovia and Yaoundé. During this peak period, running from the beginning of December until the beginning of January, the airline will offer 40% more flights compared to September/October 2020. In February 2021, also Luanda and New York JFK are planned to be added to the network.

All destinations and frequencies of the intercontinental network are listed below.

Short and medium-haul network

New in the airline’s portfolio is the brand new Berlin Brandenburg Airport, to which it will move its Berlin flights as from November 8. During the holiday periods in autumn, winter and the spring break, Brussels Airlines will operate extra flights to European holiday destinations Alicante, Gran Canaria, Faro, Malaga, Lisbon and Tenerife. Next to these most popular destinations, the airline offers a variety of sunny holiday and beautiful winter destinations, including Catania and Lanzarote but also Kraków and Oslo.

Refunds

Beginning of September, Brussels Airlines announced that it will reimburse every passenger who is entitled to a refund and to accelerate the refund process, with a vast majority of the pending refund requests expected to be resolved by the end of October. At present, the airline has executed over 50% of the delayed refund cases.

Flexible booking conditions

The Belgian airline continues to offer its passengers maximum rebooking flexibility. Passengers holding a Brussels Airlines ticket booked before August 25th, who wish to postpone their travels or whose flight was cancelled, are able to use the value of their ticket later. They have the time until January 31, 2021 to contact the airline to book a new flight. The new journey can take place until 31 December of 2021. Since 25 August, all newly booked tickets remain flexible and can be changed multiple times free of charge.

Passengers whose flights were cancelled and who do not want to make use of the rebooking options can apply for a refund using the online form on the Brussels Airlines website.

Additional frequencies on the intercontinental network

Destination	September/October	Winter season	Peak period (December until January)
Abidjan	6	7	7
Accra	2	3	3
Banjul	1	2	3
Bujumbura	1	1	1
Cotonou	2	2	2
Dakar	5	5	6
Douala	3	3	4
Entebbe	2	2	3
Freetown	2	3	4
Kigali	1	1	2
Kinshasa	3/4	4	6
Lome	2	2	2
Monrovia	2	3	4
Yaounde	3	3	4
		+12%	+40%

Brussels Airlines aircraft photo gallery:

Thomas Klühr to step down as Swiss CEO at the end of 2020

Swiss International Air Lines has made this announcement:

Thomas Klühr, who has been CEO of Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) since 2016, has asked the SWISS Board of Directors to release him from his duties at the end of 2020. The Board of Directors has acceded to his request with the greatest regret, but with respect for the personal reasons behind his decision and with its express thanks and appreciation for his substantial achievements at SWISS and his more than 30 years of service with the Lufthansa Group. Following his departure, Thomas Klühr will in future serve on the new and yet-to-be-established Swiss Aviation Foundation. The Board of Directors will decide on his successor as SWISS CEO in the fourth-quarter period.

Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines test in-flight shopping platform SKYdeals

Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines have made this announcement:

Due to the current coronavirus pandemic, offers on board had to be restricted. This also applies to onboard sales. To give customers the opportunity to shop above the clouds again, Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines are now testing a new in-flight shopping experience for their passengers – via Internet on board (FlyNet). Guests will have free access to the SKYdeals shopping platform via the FlyNet portal with their mobile device during their flight within Germany and Europe. The platform is the first online marketplace on board for so-called “shoppertainment”. At the start of the test phase, passengers will receive a free FlyNet Mail&Surf voucher after the sale is completed.

With just one click on the online marketplace, information such as destination and flight route is transmitted to SKYdeals. The SKYdeals Inflight Shopping platform offers a selection of products, each of which is related to the destination or the flight route. The following sales formats are part of the programme:

FLY OVER: exclusive discounts on local products such as Swiss chocolate and pocket knives on flights over Switzerland or fan articles of German football clubs over Germany
QUICK SALES / PRIVATE SALES: exclusive offers in fashion, beauty and accessories

After convenient online ordering and payment on board via the SKYdeals platform, the customer can have the order delivered by post to his desired address.

Lufthansa announces six new long-haul destinations from Frankfurt for summer 2021

Lufthansa is continuing to expand its tourist offering from Frankfurt for the summer of 2021. Six new long-haul destinations for next summer are now available for bookings.

Starting on March 29, 2021 for example, there will be three weekly flights from Frankfurt to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic and, starting on March 31, 2021 twice weekly flights from Frankfurt to Mombasa (Kenya) with onward flights to the dream island of Zanzibar (Tanzania). Starting June 3, 2021 Lufthansa is offering another premiere: from Frankfurt there will be a direct flight to Anchorage in Alaska (USA) three times a week.

In addition, the attractive vacation destinations of Mauritius and Malé in the Maldives will not only be offered in winter, but will also be on the flight schedule in summer from 2021.

The flights from Frankfurt to Punta Cana, Anchorage and Mauritius are a cooperation with Eurowings and are operated by Brussels Airlines. They can be booked both via lufthansa.com and eurowings.com. The flights from Frankfurt to Malé as well as Mombasa and Zanzibar are offered by the Lufthansa core brand. These flights can only be booked via lufthansa.com.

Lufthansa’s goal is to actively shape the future of tourism. This was a strategic focus even before the coronavirus pandemic. Since the beginning of July 2019, Lufthansa has been offering numerous additional tourist destinations.

Swiss marks ticket refund milestone and fulfils Swiss government requirement

Swiss International Air Lines has made this announcement:

Swiss has completed by the end of September its processing of the ticket refund requests which it had received from Swiss tour operators up to the end of July, thereby complying with a corresponding requirement from the Swiss Confederation. The refund requests from direct customers dating from the same time period have also been processed and settled. More recent ticket refund requests continue to be processed on a rolling basis, and October will see the processing times involved shorten further to their usual pre-pandemic levels. SWISS has now processed over 1.1 million ticket refund requests in 2020 and issued refunds totalling more than CHF 585 million.

Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) has now processed the ticket refund requests which it had received up to the end of July from Swiss-based tour operators who are subject to the Swiss Federal Package Travel Act. In doing so, SWISS has fulfilled a corresponding requirement from the Swiss Confederation. A handful of such requests which require more extensive processing remain pending, but these should also be concluded in the near future. “I am very pleased that we have been able to eliminate the previous backlog with these ticket refund requests and fulfil the Swiss Confederation’s requirement as planned,” says SWISS Chief Commercial Officer Tamur Goudarzi Pour. “Travel agents and tour operators have also been able to use the automated refund function in our GDS again since the end of July, which has also helped to normalize the refund payment process for our distribution partners.”

SWISS has also settled by the end of September the ticket refund requests which it had received from its direct customers up to the end of July. Here, too, a few complex cases remain open; but these should also be resolved in the very near future. “We have kept our promise,” Tamur Goudarzi Pour confirms. “But I would still like to offer our sincere apologies once again to all the customers concerned for the inconveniences they have incurred.”

SWISS has now processed over 1.1 million ticket refund requests worldwide in 2020 to date and issued refunds totalling more than CHF 585 million to the customers concerned.

Refund processing times back to pre-pandemic levels

SWISS will continue to process more recent ticket refund requests on a rolling basis. These are constantly being received as flights have to be cancelled owing to new travel warnings or customers simply find themselves unable to travel. In view of this, the numbers of pending refund requests will continue to evolve and gradually decline, but will not be eliminated entirely. The waiting times for such refunds will, however, diminish as early as October to the usual levels experienced before the present coronavirus pandemic.

Customers can continue to plan their travels with maximum flexibility. All SWISS tickets in all fare categories are rebookable free of charge as many times as the customer wishes or needs. The option applies to all new bookings worldwide, be they for short-, medium- or long-haul travel.

South African Airways suspends all operations due to rising debt

South African Airways announced on September 30, 2020 it has suspended all operations due to mounting debts.

In December 2019 the flag carrier entered reorganization.

From Reuters:

“South African Airways will be put under “care and maintenance” until funding discussions are completed, the airline’s administrators said on Tuesday.

A company’s assets can be put under care and maintenance in order to keep them in good condition when they are not being used.”

South African Airways aircraft6 photo gallery:

ASL Airlines Belgium announces agreement with Nippon Cargo Airlines

ASL Airlines Belgium (ASLB) has announced that the airline has entered into an agreement for two Boeing 747-400F freighters with Nippon Cargo Airlines (NCA). The airlines will utilize the aircraft in a mutually beneficial relationship.

ASLB will continue to operate its current fleet of three (3) Boeing 747-400F aircraft while NCA will continue to operate a fleet of eight (8) Boeing 747-8F aircraft.

ASL Airlines Belgium aircraft photo gallery: