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February 5, 2024

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February 5, 2024

ÖAMTC air rescue welcomes planned changes to the Aviation Act

guest Author February 5, 2024 11:02

The ÖAMTC air rescue service welcomes the initiative to amend the aviation law, which was submitted to the National Council yesterday. This amendment is intended to ensure that emergency medical helicopters can also fly to airports outside of operating hours, e.g. for refueling. The reason for the request for a quick solution was primarily the fact that at the airport in Graz - where the Christophorus 12 base is located - neither landing nor refueling was possible during the night. This mainly affected Christophorus 14 and Christophorus 17, which provide emergency medical care to the Styrian population around the clock, but were not allowed to refuel at the base there after a night flight to Graz. Marco Trefanitz, Managing Director of ÖAMTC Air Rescue: "A corresponding change and the resulting new legal framework will ultimately benefit the population: If we can fly more missions, we will help more people in emergency situations - it's a simple calculation." A solution is also within reach for the problem of missing take-off clearances from the tower due to weather conditions. "Thanks to the upcoming changes, our crews will be able to help even more people in need in the future and make optimal use of our capacities and resources. We would like to thank everyone involved who has made these pioneering solutions possible," concludes Marco Trefanitz.

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IATA: Industry is approaching pre-crisis levels

Jan Gruber February 5, 2024 10:34

Globally - but not in Germany - the aviation industry was able to almost reach the passenger volume it had before the corona pandemic. According to IATA, 94,1 percent of the passenger kilometers offered in 2019 were offered last year. In domestic traffic, the volume was exceeded. However, this does not apply to Germany, where the offer and passenger numbers were only just over half of those in 2019. Globally, the offer in international traffic, which accounts for 58,1 percent of all connections, was 88,6 percent of the pre-crisis volume.

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Lower Austria Railways receives “Great Place to Work” award

guest Author February 5, 2024 10:01

The Lower Austria Railways were awarded the “Best Workplace for Young Talents” employer certificate by the independent Great Place to Work institute. For the first time, the top 10 companies in Austria that create the most attractive workplace culture for Generation Z were chosen. The Lower Austria Railways came fifth here. “The ‘Great Place to Work’ award shows the company’s strong commitment to the satisfaction and well-being of its employees. I would like to offer my warmest congratulations to the Lower Austria Railways,” said Deputy Governor Udo Landbauer. The basis for the certification was an anonymous survey of all employees of the Lower Austria Railways Group. Young employees up to the age of 25 in particular gave the blue and yellow railways and mountain railways excellent feedback and confirmed that their interests and concerns about a strong sense of meaning in the workplace are particularly well met at the Lower Austria Railways. “Our employees are the company’s true treasure. Only when people experience meaning and motivation in their work can great success and the company’s constant positive development be achieved. 'Great Place to Work' is a very important indicator for this future path of the Lower Austria Railways. As one of 'Austria's Best Employers 2023', we want to continue to appeal to highly qualified and highly motivated team members. Offering a flexible working environment that is compatible with personal circumstances is a matter of course in our corporate culture. A factor that is particularly important to the younger Generation Z in their working world. Now being one of ten outstanding companies in the 'Best Workplaces for Young Talents 2024' confirms our commitment as a future-proof employer," explains Lower Austria Railways Managing Director Barbara Komarek.

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Brussels Airlines launches sixth edition of “Bike in Africa”

Amely Mizzi February 5, 2024 09:33

Brussels Airlines has officially launched the 6th edition of Bike in Africa. 120 edition of Bike in Africa has landed in the Volta region of Ghana. In addition to intensive cycling and walking tours for 18 Lufthansa Group employees, Brussels Airlines will also support two local companies that want to develop more sustainable tourism in the region. Brussels Airlines is the Africa expert within the Lufthansa Group and currently offers 2011 destinations in sub-Saharan Africa. The airline strives to be a real partner for the local communities in the markets it serves. This is why the Belgian airline has been organizing the Bike in Africa campaign since 2024. With this initiative, Brussels Airlines and the Lufthansa Group want to create greater awareness and proximity among their employees to the African continent, which is a central part of their business. After editions in Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Senegal, Gambia and Cameroon, the 120 edition of Bike in Africa will head to Ghana, more precisely to the Volta region. 5 employees from Brussels Airlines and several divisions of the Lufthansa Group, such as Eurowings, Lufthansa, Swiss and Austrian Airlines, are taking part. They are embarking on a XNUMX-day trip through the Volta region and their flight to Accra left Brussels this morning. New this year is that participants can choose a hike instead of a bike tour.

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Air Baltic expects sales of 668 million euros

Amely Mizzi February 5, 2024 09:08

As Latvia's national airline Air Baltic prepares to publish its 2023 annual results, preliminary data already point to a strong revenue forecast for the full year. After a record-breaking half-year and solid third-quarter results, Air Baltic continues to demonstrate operational excellence and confident business figures. According to unaudited preliminary data, total revenue for the past year is expected to reach EUR 668 million, a significant increase of 34 percent year-on-year. "Just before the publication of our 2023 annual results, we are pleased to report that Air Baltic is on track for a remarkably successful year. We look forward to the opportunity to present these results to investors, the media and the general public. In a broader context, 2023 was a year of significant growth and development for Air Baltic, further underlining our role as a major player in the aviation industry and our commitment to connecting Latvia with the world," said Managing Director Martin Gauss. Summing up 2023, it becomes clear that Air Baltic has continued the company's targeted growth and development. Preliminary data indicate that the airline carried around 2023 million passengers in 4,5, an increase of 36% compared to 2022. Over the last 12 months, the Latvian airline operated over 44 thousand flights - 18% more than last year.

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Spanish government wants to expand Madrid airport

Jan Gruber February 5, 2024 08:34

Madrid, the Spanish capital's airport, is already one of the largest in Europe. If President Pedro Sánchez has his way, it is to be expanded to an annual capacity of 90 million passengers in the next few years. According to a report in the newspaper "El Pais", the head of state said during his visit to the "Fitur" trade fair that around 2031 billion euros will be invested in expanding Madrid Airport's infrastructure by 2,4. The airport should then be able to handle around 90 million travelers annually. The most recent figure was around 2023 million travelers in 60. Sánchez assumes that demand will rise sharply in the next few years and that expansion would therefore be necessary. The market position as a hub between Europe and South America should not only be strengthened, but expanded and permanently consolidated. The airlines have also criticized the government's airport policy, as it initially froze fees in order to ensure more traffic. Now, contrary to previous plans, there will be an increase. This is in the single-digit percentage range and is therefore comparatively moderate. But this does not prevent Ryanair from publicly criticising the country's largest airport operator, Aena. The Spanish government's plans also assume that Iberia and Air Europa could merge. By combining forces, they could ensure even more transfers at the Spanish capital's airport. As a result, the company plans to connect Terminals 700, 1 and 2 at a cost of 3 million euros.

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Bridge days: How to use vacation days cleverly

guest Author February 5, 2024 08:07

In the first few weeks of the year, experience shows that most employees plan and book their vacation for the whole year. In order to get the most travel time out of the vacation days available, the tour operator Alltours advises including public holidays in the planning and using bridge days cleverly. With a bridge day, you can simply relax briefly in a wellness hotel or squeeze in a city trip. For example, Ascension Day on May 2024, 9, German Unity Day on October 2024, 3 and Reformation Day on October 2024, 31 are ideal for this in 2024. By using just one vacation day, a long weekend of four days is possible each time. Good Friday and Easter or Whit Monday and Corpus Christi are perfect for planning a long-distance trip to the Caribbean or Asia. If you include these holidays in your vacation planning, you can get a full 16 days off in a row by using eight vacation days each. Christmas and New Year's Day in 2024 are absolutely employee-friendly. All holidays fall on a weekday. If you are lucky enough to only have to work half a day on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, you will have twelve days off with four days' vacation.

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USA: Airlines must carry emergency medication against opium overdoses

Jan Gruber February 5, 2024 07:35

Medical emergencies occur again and again on board commercial aircraft. Therefore, most airlines carry some medications in on-board pharmacies. If there is not a doctor or nurse in the cabin, accidental overdoses can also occur. In the United States of America, a law was passed in May of last year that requires carriers to have an antidote in the event of opioid overdoses. However, it is not just about being able to treat any overdoses that could result from medications administered on board, but also a response to the fact that opioid abuse - mostly for addiction reasons - is a widespread problem in the USA. Opium addiction is a major problem in the USA Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that in 2022 alone, around 109.000 US residents died from drug overdoses. The vast majority had opioid overdoses. In order to be able to react quickly and quickly in the event of an emergency on board commercial aircraft, it has been mandatory since May 2023 that appropriate antidotes must be carried on board. However, the legislator has also provided for a transition period. This is due to the fact that the airlines have to purchase the pharmaceutical product in large quantities due to the size of their fleets and there are known to be supply bottlenecks in this industry. Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Delta Airlines and American Airlines have opted for the product Naloxone. As part of cabin crew training, employers train their flight attendants on the correct use of the drug.

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CO2 pricing makes car holidays more expensive

guest Author February 5, 2024 07:09

Shortly before the semester break, a current analysis by the mobility club shows how fuel prices have developed so far in 2024: As expected, January brought a significant increase due to the increase in CO2 pricing - diesel was 3,7 cents and super 4,4 cents per liter more expensive than in December 2023. This means that the increase in diesel corresponds almost exactly to the higher CO2 pricing, while the increase in super prices is slightly higher than could be explained by this alone. The average prices per liter at Austrian petrol stations in January: 1,639 euros (diesel) and 1,534 euros (petrol) - diesel is therefore still noticeably more expensive than super. The ÖAMTC has summarized some options for making the trip to the semester break a little cheaper: As of January 31, 2024, the ÖAMTC has determined the following average fuel prices: Federal State Diesel Super Burgenland 1,669 1,559 Carinthia 1,684 1,569 Lower Austria 1,681 1,569 Upper Austria 1,679 1,573 Salzburg 1,699 1,579 Styria 1,679 1,568 Tyrol 1,729 1,622 Vorarlberg 1,739 1,629 Vienna 1,699 1,574 Austria 1,689 1,578

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Sitting in the front costs extra: Jetblue is introducing a new fee

Jan Gruber February 5, 2024 06:31

The US budget airline Jetblue will now charge its passengers who travel in economy class an additional fee if they want to sit in the front section of the plane. Passengers who have the corresponding status will not have to pay any extra. All others who want to sit in the front section of the cabin will have to pay at least ten US dollars extra. On long-haul flights, the fee can be as high as almost 50 US dollars. Passengers do not get "better" seats for this, as these are the usual economy class seats. In return, you can only sit a little further forward. Many travelers find it important to be able to sit as far forward as possible so that they can leave the plane more quickly after arrival. There is no real advantage, especially when using walk- or bus-boarding with both doors, which is common on budget airlines. In any case, Jetblue makes no secret of the fact that it wants to make more money through the new additional fee for seats that it has classified as "Core Preferred". They simply charge a special fee for the most popular zones. These are expressly not the rows of seats that had to be reserved in advance for a fee, for example seats in the emergency exit rows (“Mint Seats”, “Even More Space Seats”). This is not an isolated case: many airlines make a lot of money from seat requests. However, Jetblue is not taking a completely new approach, as competitors such as United Airlines, American Airlines, Delta and some budget airlines with whom they are in fierce competition have long been charging economy class passengers who do not have a suitable status card to

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