News and notes from around the interweb:
- Thai Airways is getting a bailout a bailout from its military government. They’re being forced to cut unprofitable activities. Its plans include ending Moscow, Madrid, and Johannesburg service. They’re getting rid of 44 planes but will still take delivery of 20 Airbus A350s through 2019. (Mostly they’ll drop A340-600 and 747 aircraft — which have international first class.) They claim they’ll be profitable in 2016, but then they have to claim that.. to the military government..
- Air travel in Thailand is up, driven not by Thai Airways but Nok and Thai AirAsia.
- Etihad has acquired 75% of Altalia’s MilleMiglia frequent flyer program. They’ve made a big investment in Alitalia, but one common strategy for the airline is to exercise outsized control in a carrier beyond what their initial investment in the airline would normally allow (frequently due to foreign ownership limitations) by taking control of the carrier’s loyalty program. The goal is to push a nation’s air traffic to connect through Abu Dhabi rather than to, you know, make money..
- The deep pocket to have
lit money on fireinvested in Alitalia before Etihad was Italy’s postal service, a move the EU says didn’t constitute impermissible state aid. That’s probably because to say otherwise would give state aid a bad name.
- 1150 Etihad Guest miles for joining and reviewing a hotel.
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