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January 12, 2022

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January 12, 2022

Due to sick leave: Finnair cuts flight schedule by 20 percent

Amely Mizzi 12 January 2022 19:37

Oneworld member Finnair is currently struggling with a particularly high level of sick leave. This is attributed to both Omicron and the flu season. The carrier must now cut its flight schedule by around 20 percent. "Staff sick leave is now having a significant impact on Finnair and airports in Finland and around the world. Our goal is to address these resource challenges by cancelling flights, avoid last-minute changes and better meet our customers' expectations. This gives customers more time to prepare for schedule changes and adjust their travel plans if necessary," says Ole Orvér, Chief Commercial Officer at Finnair. The Finnish airline stressed in a press release that the majority of flights that travel multiple times a day will operate. Travelers would have an alternative available if the worst came to the worst. Examples include Stockholm, Oslo, Copenhagen, Paris and Rome. There will also be changes to long-haul flights: The start of Finnair's new Dallas service will be moved from February to March 27th and the start of Nagoya flights and the additional frequencies to Osaka will be postponed to the 2022 summer season. Reduction of weekly frequencies to Singapore to twice a week and to Hong Kong to three. And that's not all: Two unions have called for a strike on January 17th, 2022. It is currently unclear what impact this will have, but Finnair expects that numerous flights will be cancelled. The carrier emphasizes that it is not involved in this industrial action, but that it has

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Michael O'Leary: “Lufthansa likes to cry crocodile tears”

Amely Mizzi 12 January 2022 19:05

Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary is stepping up the discussion about the slot rules set by the EU Commission. He has verbally attacked competitor Lufthansa in particular. He is demanding that competition watchdogs should ignore Lufthansa's "false claims about the operation of 'ghost flights'". There is currently a controversial discussion in the aviation industry about the EU Commission's slot regulation. This currently stipulates that at least 64 percent of the allocated take-off and landing rights must actually be used. Otherwise, there is a risk of reassignment via the regulator. Lufthansa, for example, has been publicly campaigning against the regulation for several weeks, claiming that around 18.000 empty flights would have to be carried out and wants to ensure that the slots for the current 2021/22 winter flight schedule period are retained regardless of use. Low-cost airlines such as Ryanair and Wizz Air see things completely differently. Both companies regularly demand that unused take-off and landing rights be returned to the regulator and then reassigned. However, Ryanair was able to get hold of coveted take-off and landing rights in Linate, which it then did not use. The withdrawal from Frankfurt am Main was announced a few days ago. "The solution to the problem of Lufthansa's 'ghost flights' is very simple: just sell these seats to consumers. If Lufthansa really has to operate these flights (just to prevent these slots from being released to competing airlines), then it should be obliged to sell these seats to the public at low prices. The German and EU public have already paid Lufthansa and its subsidiaries Brussels Airlines, Swiss and Austrian billions in

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EI-IMN: First A319 carries ITA livery

Jan Gruber 12 January 2022 18:32

The Italian airline ITA Airways has given the Airbus A319 with the registration EI-IMN the current livery. It is the first aircraft of this type to fly in blue livery. The new name of the EI-IMN is Pietro Mennea. The athlete won a gold medal at the Olympic Games in Moscow and was the record holder in his discipline for many years. Just before Christmas, the Airbus A320 with the registration EI-DTE was the first ITA aircraft ever to receive the blue livery. This medium-haul jet was named in honor of the athlete Pietro Mennea. The Italian airline announced a few weeks ago that the aircraft would bear the names of athletes.

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AUA again among the top 10 most punctual airlines in Europe

Granite Pireci 12 January 2022 18:02

Austrian Airlines has once again landed among the most punctual airlines in Europe in 2021. This is confirmed by a recently published study by the analysis platform Cirium. 89,6 percent of all arrivals were on time. That means 7th place in the European ranking. Group sister company Eurowings is only one place ahead of the Austrian carrier. Vueling is named the most punctual airline in Europe with a rate of 92,13 percent. "As a red-white-red premium carrier, punctuality and reliability are among our highest standards. I am very pleased that the Austrian team is managing to meet our demands on customers even in times of pandemic. Despite all the volatility that the Corona situation brings with it, our employees continue to ensure stable flight operations with great commitment," says Austrian Airlines COO Francesco Sciortino.

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Germany: Ticket refunds are still being delayed

Jan Gruber 12 January 2022 17:35

In Germany, the refund of ticket money for cancelled flights is said to continue to be a problem. The passenger rights portal Flightright claims that German airlines in particular are delaying or even refusing to make refunds. The company is citing cases that passengers have submitted via the portal. If successful, the portal collects a commission, so the service is not free for customers. In any case, Eurowings performed best among the German airlines. In 41 percent of cases, this carrier refunded the ticket price due to payment requests from Flightright. Condor did so in 40 percent of cases. Tuifly is said to be in third place with a refund rate of 34 percent. Lufthansa is said to be at the bottom of the list with only around 30 percent refunds. Budget airlines such as Ryanair and Easyjet performed better. The Irish low-cost group is said to have refunded in 77 percent of the cases submitted. The rate for its British competitor is said to have been 70 percent. Flightright manager Claudia Brosche criticizes Lufthansa's behavior, saying that the carrier is making the refund of ticket money bureaucratic. As examples, she cites the fact that powers of attorney and declarations of assignment are requested in the original by post, but other airlines accept them digitally. Flightright considers this to be a delaying tactic that would "cast a bad light on Germany's largest airline." In general, the view is that Lufthansa's actions are "difficult to understand."

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MUC: Passenger numbers increase by over twelve percent to around 12,5 million

Granite Pireci 12 January 2022 17:03

The traffic balance for 2021 at Munich Airport is still heavily influenced by the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic: Passenger numbers rose by 1,4 million, or more than twelve percent, compared to the previous year to a total of 12,5 million passengers. However, with this passenger volume, the airport only achieved a little more than a quarter of its record result from the pre-crisis year of 2019. Traffic development in 2021 over the course of the year is positive. From the summer onwards, a sharp increase in demand was observed due to the removal of many restrictions on international travel. While only 2,2 million passengers were counted at Munich Airport in the first six months, there were already 10,3 million passengers in the second half of the year. In the busiest month alone - October 2021 - just as many travelers were registered as in the entire first half of the year. A comparison of the December results of 2020 and 2021 also shows how quickly air traffic can recover once travel restrictions are lifted: While only 2020 passengers were counted in Munich in December 245.000, a year later there were already more than six times as many, at 1,5 million passengers. In total, around 2021 take-offs and landings were carried out in 153.000. This is 6.000 flight movements or over four percent more than in the previous year. Air freight increased significantly compared to 2020, particularly due to a significant increase in so-called freight-only traffic. A total of 22.000 tons more air freight was handled than in the previous year. The freight volume thus rose by almost 15 percent to a total of 167.000 tons. "As soon as the pandemic situation allows it, people will want to travel again. This unbroken demand also makes us happy.

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Hamburg gets Hard Rock Hotel in the bunker

Jan Gruber 12 January 2022 16:32

A Hard Rock Hotel is to be opened in an unusual location in the Hamburg district of St. Pauli. A former high-rise bunker from the Second World War has been taken over and converted into a hotel. The new hotel, which will be located near the Millerntor Stadium of the FC St. Pauli football club, will open its doors under the name "Reverb by Hard Rock Hotel". It is primarily aimed at "modern music lovers" and also wants to establish itself as an event center for young artists. The bunker hotel project is not entirely new, as it was originally supposed to be opened under the NH Hotels brand NHow. However, those responsible later decided to use the Hard Rock brand. The "bunker" will have around 134 beds in various categories. The exact opening date has not yet been set, as the conversion and renovation work is currently underway. As soon as it is clear when the new bunker hotel can go into operation, bookings will be released. Those responsible for the project expect this to be completed within the next six months. Sales will then begin approximately three months in advance.

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Isabelle Zimmermann new to the Board of Directors of Hotelplan Group

Granite Pireci 12 January 2022 16:02

The Hotelplan Group, which is part of the Migros Group, has elected Isabelle Zimmermann to the Board of Directors. She replaces Jörg Zulauf, who retired at the end of 2021. Since January 1, 2022, Isabelle Zimmermann has been Head of the Finance Department and a member of the General Management of the Migros Cooperative Federation. She succeeds Jörg Zulauf, who retired at the end of December 2021. In her new role, Isabelle Zimmermann was elected to the Board of Directors of Hotelplan Group. Like her predecessor, she serves as Vice President of the Board of Directors. In addition, Norbert Munsch will leave the Board of Directors of the Hotelplan Group in mid-March after 12 years of membership, in accordance with the Articles of Association, the company announced. "On behalf of the entire Board of Directors, I would like to thank Norbert Munsch very much for his commitment over the past few years and warmly welcome Isabelle Zimmermann to our board," says Fabrice Zumbrunnen, President of the General Management of the Migros Cooperative Federation and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Hotelplan Group.

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Japan extends foreign entry ban

Jan Gruber 12 January 2022 14:06

The Japanese government is extending the entry ban for non-residents or non-citizens until at least the end of February 2022. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced this at a press conference on Tuesday. Due to the Omicron Corona variant, Japan decided to close its borders again from November 30, 2021. People with a residence, residence permit or citizenship are exempt from this ban. However, they must undergo extensive quarantine. "The infection situation regarding Omicron is significantly different domestically than abroad, so the framework conditions of the current border controls will remain in place until the end of February," said the Japanese head of government. The maximum number of people allowed to enter the country is still around 3.500 people per day. The airline All Nippon Airways received the government's decision with mixed feelings. Shinya Katanozaka, President of ANA Holdings, is quoted in a press release as saying: "We long for practical anti-virus measures while promoting social and economic activities." The company hopes that international tourism can resume as soon as possible, but does not want to make any predictions about possible timing.

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