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April 11, 2024

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April 11, 2024

Amelia is fleeting three more Airbus A320s

Amely Mizzi 11 April 2024 10:33

The airlines Amelia and Amelia International have announced that they will be expanding their joint fleet by three Airbus A320s. The additional aircraft are from the leasing company Aercap. According to company information, the relevant contracts were recently signed. The first unit has already been taken over. The medium-haul jets will be registered partly with the Slovenian and partly with the French AOC. The additional aircraft will be used mainly for ACMI and charter orders.

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Railway: “Rail cruises” in Switzerland

guest Author 11 April 2024 10:01

Just get on board and don't miss a thing. On the rail cruise you can enjoy the most popular highlights, but also lesser-known gems of Switzerland's largest holiday canton. On the Alpine Cruise, the Rhaetian Railway takes its passengers past the most beautiful and unusual places in Graubünden to Tirano in Italy. The route of the optional four-, five- or eight-day trip is just as much the goal as the destinations that can be discovered along the Arosa Line, the Albula Line and the Bernina Line. The Rhaetian Railway trains cross unique viaducts on their journey and the large panoramic windows of the Bernina Express allow an incomparable view of the Swiss Alps. The journey through Chur begins leisurely. But soon the stroll through the city on rails is over: now the red train becomes a mountain railway. After countless curves, Arosa welcomes you with fresh mountain air, sunshine and a pinch of humor. From Thusis, the Rhaetian Railway climbs through spiral tunnels and over viaducts up the Albula Valley towards St. Moritz. The line, which is harmoniously embedded in the landscape, is a showpiece from the time of the railway pioneers and is part of the UNESCO RhB World Heritage Site. The Bernina Line between St. Moritz, Valposchiavo and Tirano impressively connects the north and south of Europe. It leads past mountains, lakes and glaciers down to the palm trees in the Valtellina. The famous panoramic route is part of the UNESCO RhB World Heritage Site - a trademark for railway lovers from all over the world. The Alpine Cruise offers the luxury of deciding whether the "rail cruiser" wants to relax or be active. The four, five or eight-day trip includes overnight stays in the

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Competition for the AUA: China Eastern takes on Shanghai-Vienna

Amely Mizzi 11 April 2024 09:31

Skyteam member China Eastern Airlines has announced a non-stop connection between Shanghai and Vienna-Schwechat. The Chinese carrier intends to fly between Shanghai and Vienna-Schwechat on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays with Airbus A22-2024 from June 330, 200. The flight numbers for the pair are MU227/MU228. Passengers will therefore have an alternative to Austrian Airlines from mid-June 2024. It is not yet clear whether the upcoming competition will have a positive effect on passengers in the form of lower ticket prices.

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United is making flight bookings easier for wheelchair users

Amely Mizzi 11 April 2024 09:09

United Airlines has improved the booking options on the website and via the United app specifically for wheelchair users. This is intended to make it easier for those affected to find suitable flights on which they and their wheelchairs can be transported. They can also have the difference refunded if it is not possible to take their wheelchair on the flight and they have to choose another, more expensive connection instead. Specifically, the exact dimensions of a wheelchair can now be entered when searching for a flight. The flights that are operated with aircraft that are suitable for transporting the wheelchair are then highlighted accordingly. The dimensions of the cargo hatch are particularly important, as these vary in size depending on the type of aircraft. This way, for example, owners of larger motorized wheelchairs can find out whether their equipment can be transported. If the cargo hatch of the aircraft used on the desired flight is too small for the wheelchair and the passenger therefore has to choose another flight on the same day on the same route that is more expensive, they can have the difference refunded. United announced this new function, which is now in beta, last year along with other initiatives. In 2023 alone, more than 200.000 guests who rely on wheelchairs booked flights with United. The airline wants to make flying easier for them in general, which is why it also works with renowned institutions such as the United Spinal Association, the largest disability-oriented membership organization in the USA, which represents around 5,5 million wheelchair users, and Numotion, the largest US provider of products and services for people with

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Wetlease: Smartlynx expects 30 percent more flights

Amely Mizzi 11 April 2024 08:32

In the current 2024 summer flight schedule period, Smartlynx airlines will serve a total of 191 destinations in 45 countries on behalf of their customers. The passenger division of the group specializes in the provision of ACMI and charter services. Smartlynx does not offer passenger flights on its own account, but flies on behalf of tour operators and other airlines. In the current 2024 summer season, the company has clients in Europe, Southeast Asia and Africa. On their behalf, Smartlynx aircraft will fly to a total of 191 destinations in 45 countries. From a current perspective, this year there will be around 30 percent more flights compared to the same period last year. Smartlynx has also already recorded numerous advance bookings for 2025. It is therefore assumed that the strong demand for wet lease services will continue in the coming year. This year, one of the benefits is that numerous airlines are benefiting from temporary outages of their A320neo series aircraft, which are due to the Pratt & Whitney engine problems. ACMI providers are also benefiting from the fact that competitor Boeing is massively behind on deliveries of the B737 Max series. For example, Ryanair had to cut its 2024 summer flight schedule for this reason. "We are observing a significant and steady increase in travel demand, especially in Europe. Forecasts assume that 2024 will mark a return to pre-pandemic travel numbers worldwide. Since we have strategically focused on counter-seasonality, we can say that the high season is not only starting this year, but is also continuing for us," says Edvinas Demenius, CEO of SmartLynx Airlines. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) predicts that the number of air passengers will increase by 2024.

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AUA: Vida lets members vote on further industrial action

Jan Gruber 11 April 2024 08:26

The 20th round of negotiations on a new collective agreement for Austrian Airlines' flight crew was broken off without result. Now the Vida union wants its members to vote on the latest offer and how to proceed. Online voting is scheduled to start at the beginning of next week. The employee representatives want to know their members' opinion on the latest offer from Austrian Airlines management. At the same time, possible further industrial action measures are to be voted on. It cannot therefore be ruled out that there could be further strikes at this Lufthansa subsidiary in the near future. In a media statement, the Vida union admitted that the offer had been improved. However, it still does not correspond to the ideas of the employee representatives and is said to be far from the demands of the union members and works councils. "We are continuing to work to at least narrow the gap between AUA employees and those of other airlines in the Lufthansa Group. Unfortunately, even after the twentieth round of negotiations, AUA management is still not addressing this concern. Rather, the demand of the workforce is now only apparently being met by longer contract periods," says Daniel Liebhart, head of the aviation department in the Vida union. "The bottom line is that AUA management has now presented an offer that has been improved but has been extended in time. The difference to the previous offer is only minimal. This offer also continues the underpayment and unequal treatment of Austrian employees in the German Lufthansa Group to the same extent." Now it is the members' turn. They can take part in an online vote organized by the union from the beginning of next week. Liebhart said: "That is why we have

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AUA cancels flight and transfers empty E195 to Vienna

Jan Gruber 11 April 2024 08:18

On Wednesday, April 10, 2024, passengers on Austrian Airlines flight OS354 had to deal with the fact that the Lufthansa subsidiary had canceled its flight from Brussels to Vienna at short notice without replacement. The Embraer 195 with the registration OE-LWD was already at the gate in Brussels. According to Austrian Airlines, the passenger flight could therefore not be carried out: "The reason for this was a missing seal on the engine, which has since been added." The regional jet will fly back to Vienna on April 1472, 11 under the flight number OS2024, which is a so-called ferry flight. This means that the Embraer 195 will fly to Vienna without passengers on board, i.e. empty.

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Wingcopter applies for approval in Japan

Amely Mizzi 11 April 2024 08:09

With the support of Itochu Corporation, Wingcopter has applied for type certification for its Wingcopter 198 delivery drone in Japan and was recently approved for the process. This is the first time that a drone from a foreign company and the first time that a fixed-wing drone has been approved for the type certification process for unmanned aircraft Class 1 by the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. Type certification refers to the official approval of an aircraft type/type for air traffic. It is carried out by the aviation authority of the state in which the aircraft will later be registered. As part of the approval, it is checked whether the underlying regulations have been met by the Wingcopter 198 model series. If approval is successful, Wingcopter will be allowed to conduct Level 4 flights in Japan. Level 4 refers to flights beyond the visual line of sight of a pilot (BVLOS) in populated areas, which significantly expands the scope of application for delivery drones. This would make Wingcopter and its partner Itochu among the first companies to start commercial BVLOS operations in Japan. With its ageing population and remote landscapes, including many inhabited islands, the country is considered one of the world's largest markets for drone delivery in the future. Itochu and Wingcopter aim to use the Wingcopter 198 to build drone delivery networks and services that can serve as an air bridge to address various social challenges by transporting vital and urgently needed goods over many kilometers and across challenging terrain in a fast and environmentally friendly manner.

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Fiscal years: Dertour Group with strong sales increase

Amely Mizzi 11 April 2024 07:34

The travel group Dertour was able to increase sales to 2023 billion euros in the 7,2 financial year. This represents an improvement of 24,6 percent compared to the previous period and even exceeded the 2019 figure of 6,5 billion euros. Dertour is the tourism division of the Rewe Group, which is mainly known for trading in food and other goods. According to a statement from the group, in 2023 it benefited greatly from the fact that demand for package tours was very high. The fact that many potential customers did not travel in previous years due to the corona pandemic certainly played a role. Dertour was able to benefit from the backlog demand. It was found that package tours were being booked more frequently again for various reasons. In all European markets in which the company operates, there is an increased interest in more expensive trips. This means that holidaymakers are willing to pay more for their trips, but also expect improved quality and more included services. The tourism group has responded to this trend and expanded its offering accordingly in the current 2024 financial year, according to the travel group. The travel division continues to be an important source of revenue for the Rewe Group, which was able to increase its revenue by around nine percent to 2023 billion euros in 92,3. Of this, 63,2 billion euros came from activities in the Federal Republic of Germany. Here, growth was 7,8 percent. The Rewe Group's EBITDA increased by 25,6 percent and is reported at 1,83 billion euros. The surplus increased by 46,2 percent to 736,2

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Lower Austrian tourism study presented

guest Author 11 April 2024 07:02

At a press conference at the Hotel-Gasthof Graf in St. Pölten on Tuesday, Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner presented the results of a current study - carried out by the market research institute MANOVA - on the economic factor of tourism in Lower Austria. Tourism is an important economic pillar, said the governor, because "more than two billion euros are generated annually in tourism in Lower Austria." The focus is on spa or health tourism, with 21 percent of overnight stays, 36 percent are accounted for by seminar and business tourism, according to the study, and "the largest area is classic holiday tourism, which is responsible for 43 percent of all overnight stays." In addition, there is a clear trend towards quality tourism, with the number of four-star beds having increased to around twelve percent in the last five years. "A clear trend towards holiday and quality tourism in Lower Austria," said Mikl-Leitner, and the state wants to promote this as much as possible. “Over the past five years, we have supported around 1.600 investment projects with more than 32 million euros in grants, thereby implementing investments totalling 247 million euros.” Many new businesses have been created, such as the Hotel Garni Zwettl, the Kittenberger Chalets in Schiltern, the Refugium Lunz and the Hafnertec in Wieselburg. Many businesses have also used the funding to improve quality – the Lower Austrian Inn Package has been particularly successful here, “where we have provided four million euros in funding,” said the governor, who went on to explain: “175 hosts are investing in their businesses and we are triggering more than 20 million euros in investments, which above all also generate orders

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