Corporate Travel News

Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) CEO and director of aviation safety Shane Carmody stated (18-Dec-2017) 2018 will be a "big year" for CASA. As well as the implementation of the aviation medicine and MULTICOM changes, CASA is focused on finalising the remaining suites of the Civil Aviation Safety Regulations. Mr Carmody said: "This work alone will be a huge task for our organisation". In addition, CASA will be completing a review into new fatigue regulations, which will allow a final policy position to be reached. [more - original PR]

Leo Burnett Sydney, via its official Facebook account, reposted (18-Dec-2017) reports that Emirates appointed Leo Burnett Sydney to handle its Australian creative account following a competitive pitch (lbbonline.com/campaignbrief.com/adnews.com.au/bandt.com.au, 18-Dec-2017). The partnership will see Leo Burnett Sydney develop local strategies and deploy lateral creative solutions for the evolving Australian media and digital landscape.

LATAM Airlines Brazil announced (18-Dec-2017) plans to launch three times weekly Sao Paulo Guarulhos-Las Vegas seasonal service with two class 221 seat Boeing 767 aircraft, effective 21-Jun-2018 to Aug-2018. The service will be the sole South America-Las Vegas direct connection. The carrier commenced bookings on 18-Dec-2017. Las Vegas handles around 150,000 Brazilian tourists p/a. GRU Airport CEO Gustavo Figueiredo stated: "The Sao Paulo-Las Vegas route reinforces the strategic partnership with LATAM, who announced seven new international routes from Sao Paulo International Airport in 2017". [more - original PR - Portuguese]

easyJet confirmed (18-Dec-2017) it acquired part of airberlin's operations at Berlin Tegel Airport. Details include:

• Acquisition will result in easyJet operating 25 aircraft from Berlin Tegel;
• easyJet to lease former airberlin aircraft and take over other assets including slots;
• Employment offered to former airberlin crew;
• Citigroup Global Markets Limited acted as financial adviser and Clifford Chance as legal advisor to easyJet on the transaction. [more - original PR]

Boeing, Neos and AerCap confirmed (18-Dec-2017) delivery of Neos' first Boeing 787. Neos is leasing the 787-9 through an agreement with AerCap and is the first Italian operator of the aircraft. Neos SpA CEO Carlo Stradiotti stated: "This delivery is the first step of implementation of our fleet strategy, aimed at making sure our customers can always have a state-of-the-art service and the best possible in-flight experience. We look forward to welcoming more 787s into our fleet along with the new 737 MAXs in the next few years". Neos is the 45th carrier to operate the 787. AerCap, the world's largest 787 customer, plans to deliver two additional 787s to Neos by 2018. [more - original PR]

Air New Zealand introduced (19-Dec-2017) the latest instalment of the 'Better Way to Fly' campaign to convince more Australians to travel with Air New Zealand across the Tasman and beyond. The new campaign features actors Bryan Brown and Sam Neill, the voices behind Air New Zealand's CGI characters Dave the Goose and Pete the Kiwi, respectively. Australians can travel direct to New Zealand from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and Cairns. [more - original PR]

Cobalt Air, via its official Facebook account, announced (16-Dec-2017) the launch of online check-in for services departing from Larnaca. The carrier added: "Other airports will follow shortly".

Silk Way West Airlines, via its official Facebook account, announced (17-Dec-2017) it operated its first nonstop Baku-Campinas service with Boeing 747-8F aircraft, transporting 36 tons of cargo. The 15 hour service is the longest in the history of the carrier.

Miami International Airport, via its official Twitter account, confirmed (15-Dec-2017) American Airlines launched Miami-Cartagena service on 15-Dec-2017.

Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian emphasised (14-Dec-2017) the carrier's plan to curb unit cost growth, excluding profit sharing, to between 0% and 2% in 2018 through a variety of productivity and efficiency initiatives. Mr Bastian also commented on Delta's order of A321neos, stating: "We think it's the best narrowbody aircraft product in the sky, not only for our customers, but for our people to work with". CMO Tim Mapes added that growing loyalty to Delta's brand creates a durable revenue stream. "We listen with a bias toward action... We listen with a bias toward doing something more because we genuinely are concerned with your experience and getting you to where you need to go with a great experience," he said. President Glen Hauenstein noted Delta's revenue momentum is the "best in years", adding the airline expects to generate positive PRASM in every quarter of 2018. Growth will be driven by Delta's network, revenue premium and increasing globalisation, with new and expanded joint ventures and investments expected to yield hundreds of millions of dollars in financial benefits. [more - original PR]