August 25, 2020

More articles from the category

August 25, 2020

Germany could abolish free PCR tests

After many countries reported capacity bottlenecks, German Health Minister Jens Spahn is now rowing back: returning travelers will probably no longer be able to be tested for the new Covid-19 pathogen free of charge. In addition, the recently introduced testing requirement when entering from risk areas is to be abolished. The ministers put forward such proposals during a conference call. Spahn said after the meeting that they still do not regret that tests for travelers were expanded in the summer. At the same time, however, there is also consensus that once the wave of return travel has ended, capacities should be used more in the care and hospital sectors. However, this should not change the 14-day quarantine requirement when entering from a risk area, according to the "Tagesschau". This can only be ended early if you can show a negative Covid-19 test. Only those that were taken five days after entry at the earliest will be accepted.

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Qantas A380 flies into the desert with a new cabin

Like the entire aviation industry, Qantas also has to abandon previously established strategies and rethink. Australia's national airline is now sending freshly modernized Airbus A380 aircraft to the California desert. Qantas probably imagined this very differently: Equipped with new cabins, the A380 fleet at the Elbe aircraft factory in Dresden was to be made fit for the future. This modernization program was supposed to be completed at the end of 2020. But then Corona came. And with it the uncertainty as to whether the A380 will ever take off again. To date, 11 super jumbos have been buried in the "aircraft graveyard" in Victorville, as flugrevue.de reports. The last aircraft in the A380 fleet is also expected to join them soon. When the planes will be able to welcome passengers on board again is still up in the air. Qantas hopes that the A380 fleet will return in 2023.

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BER: Schönefeld becomes Terminal 5

Schönefeld Airport will become part of BER when Berlin Brandenburg Airport opens as Terminal 5. SXF will receive the IATA code BER on October 25th with the change from the summer to the winter flight schedule. To ensure that Berlin Brandenburg Airport meets the requirements as a location with several terminals, extensive renovations and expansions have been carried out at Schönefeld Airport. These include new security control technology, the adaptation of the wayfinding system and the construction of flight operations areas. "Schönefeld Airport will become an integral part of BER as Terminal 5. Thanks to the construction work, passengers can continue to be handled well at T5 for several more years. This means that flight operations can be reliably spread out under corona conditions," says Engelbert Lütke Daldrup, CEO of Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg GmbH.

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Spain: Iberostar founds long-haul airline

You have to be very brave to set up a new airline in the middle of the Corona crisis and want to go on long-haul flights with it. The Spanish tour operator Iberostar, which already has more than 30.000 employees, wants to get its own airline into the air. Under the name "World 2 Fly", the carrier will serve long-haul destinations with Airbus A350s. The group, based in Mallorca, says it operates 120 hotels in 19 countries and sees potential in becoming more independent from external airlines. The local daily newspaper "Diario de Mallorca" was told that the Dominican Republic, Cuba and Mexico will be among the first destinations. An Airbus A350 has already been secured and negotiations are underway for a second, identical long-haul jet. Iberostar is currently aiming for the new company to take off in March 2021. The focus on long haul is a bold step, because this segment has been hit particularly hard by the corona crisis due to international entry and quarantine guidelines. Routes that were once highly profitable can sometimes no longer be served at all or have such low demand that flying makes no economic sense.

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Very late: BER is thinking about the shuttle bus

Worldwide, almost all airports whose terminals are very far apart offer free transport options. For example, buses, and some airports have train-like services. Of course, exceptions prove the rule, but an absurd discussion is now taking place at BER Airport. The terminal buildings of today's Schönefeld Airport will be operated as Terminal 5 after the BER buildings are put into operation. The operating company has already adapted the names of the gates to this end. The crux of the matter, however, is that Terminals 1+2 and 5 are extremely far apart from each other. Put simply, they are at opposite ends of the site. It is therefore necessary to connect them with a means of transport to enable transferring passengers to change terminals. Or even simpler: it happens again and again that travelers accidentally or unknowingly go to the wrong terminal. According to a report in the local newspaper MOZ, BER had previously planned that transport between the two terminals would be carried out using the normal local transport connections, i.e. bus and express train. Normal ticket prices should be paid for this. The passenger association Pro Bahn strongly criticised this, as the different tariff systems of the two local associations are likely to be almost incomprehensible for non-Berliners or non-Brandenburgers who just want to get from one terminal to the other. The lobby group is therefore clearly demanding that the airport company set up a free shuttle bus, as is usual at most major airports. They also point out that this is the international standard and thus made a swipe at the fact that BER always markets itself to the public as a major airport. Now the airport has also reacted.

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Rebooking: The tariff difference is always due

The German airline Lufthansa and its subsidiaries Swiss, Brussels Airlines and Austrian Airlines will not charge a rebooking fee in any fare class until the end of December 2020. This also applies to Economy Light. However, depending on the fare booked, a surcharge may still be incurred if the new flight is more expensive. The airlines of the Lufthansa Group and many competitors may have lost the trust of many potential customers by deliberately ignoring the statutory deadline for refunding tickets that could not be used due to the corona crisis, according to the Federal Association of Consumer Organizations. Thousands of customers are still waiting for their ticket money to be refunded. The fares, which are now advertised as "flexible", simply mean that the flat fee that would otherwise be charged for this process is not charged when rebooking. Any fare difference must still be paid and if the new flight is cheaper, there is no money back. This does not apply to refundable flexi fares, which explicitly state in their terms and conditions that no surcharge is payable. In this respect, the "new flexibility" that the Lufthansa Group is now once again promoting is only applicable to a very limited extent. Only the flat fee, which is otherwise charged in addition to the fare difference, does not have to be paid, at least until the end of December 2020. 

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Lufthansa: Lounge access against payment

Lufthansa passengers with an economy class ticket can now use the lounges in Frankfurt am Main and Munich by paying an entry fee of 39 euros. Payment is made on site by credit card. The carrier points out that "buy-in" is currently only possible in Frankfurt and Munich if there is sufficient capacity in the respective Kranich lounge. The First Class lounges, which Lufthansa says are still reserved for first class travelers and HON Circle members, are excluded from "buying". The Austrian subsidiary Austrian Airlines is keeping its lounges at Vienna-Schwechat Airport closed. Passengers with status or business tickets can use the currently only exclusive waiting area, Sky Lounge Schengen. A spokesperson said: "We are working hard to be able to reopen our own lounges."

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Ryanair: Booking situation in Ireland “terrible”

The low-cost airline Ryanair is apparently having a sales problem in its home market of Ireland. CEO Michael O'Leary explained in an interview that booking numbers in the island state were terrible. He attributes this to the very strict quarantine regulations. In Germany and Italy, on the other hand, Ryanair is seeing growing demand, which he attributes to the free tests upon return. Michael O'Leary believes that the various travel restrictions and complicated entry regulations in many European countries will hit the entire airline industry hard. Meanwhile, operations manager Neal McMahon explained in an interview with Reuters that the originally planned staff cuts will be smaller. The reason for this is that austerity packages have been agreed in numerous countries. As of August 21, 2020, 97 percent of pilots and 90 percent of cabin crew across the group had accepted the so-called pay cuts and changes to their employment contracts. In May 2020, Michael O'Leary said that Ryanair would most likely have to lay off around 3.000 of its flight crew. Specifically, he also said that it would affect those who do not agree to the changes and the associated wage cuts, which amount to as much as 20 percent. This also happened at the subsidiary Lauda: All flight crew members in Austria who did not agree to the new collective agreement were dismissed. On this occasion, the company also took the "iron broom" through the administration and let go of many employees in this area of ​​the company. Lauda also dismissed all employees in Düsseldorf who did not respond with "I accept" and, according to reports, others as well. In Stuttgart, all employees were sent the "blue letter" and, absurdly,

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Germany: Travel warning for Varna lifted

The Federal Republic of Germany adapted the travel warning issued for Bulgaria and lifted it for the Varna Oblast. In concrete terms, this means that the German Foreign Ministry no longer has a travel warning for the holiday region on the Golden Sands. Austria continues to view the entire territory of Bulgaria as a risk area and maintains the travel warning issued. Germany, meanwhile, has issued the highest level for some regions of France. Île-de-France and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur are specifically affected. The Alpine republic, on the other hand, has not (yet) issued a travel warning for France.

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