Weekly News Roundup

Airlines Extend Cancellations of 737 Max

The 737 Max is staying out of commission.

United Airlines announced on Sunday that the aircraft will remain grounded until Nov. 3. That is longer than originally planned.

American Airlines said it will not fly the plane until Nov. 2.

The jet has been grounded since March after two crashes killed 346 people.

In a statement on its website, American said that it “remains confident that impending software updates to the Boeing 737 MAX, along with the new training elements Boeing is developing in coordination with our union partners, will lead to recertification of the aircraft this year.”

The carrier said it is extending the cancellations so that “our customers and team members can more reliably plan their upcoming travel on American.”

About 115 flights per day will be canceled through Nov. 2, American said.

Southwest Airlines has also removed the aircraft from its schedule through Oct. 1. That means it has to remove 150 flights a day.

“By proactively removing the MAX from scheduled service, we can reduce last-minute flight cancellations and unexpected disruptions to our Customers’ travel plans,” the airline said.

Air France-KLM Tests Biometrics

Passengers traveling on Air France-KLM at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York and George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston will become part of a biometrics trial.

The airline wants to use facial recognition boarding at all the airports it operates out of in the United States. It is working with U.S. Customs and Border Protection on the effort, which would affect about 2,200 passengers a day.

“We are excited to embrace an innovation that has the potential to make the travel experience less stressful and more secure for our passengers,” said Stephane Ormand, vice president and general manager of Air France KLM USA.

She said the airline plans to implement biometric boarding at 93 percent of U.S. airports by the end of the year and at all of them by next year.

Right now, Air France and KLM passengers at airports departing from Atlanta, Los Angeles, Dallas Fort-Worth, Detroit, Dulles, San Francisco, and Seattle are able to utilize biometric boarding in any class of service.

Air France-KLM now also has direct flights to Paris aboard Air France from Dallas Fort-Worth and direct flights to Amsterdam aboard KLM from Las Vegas and Boston.

Turkish and Kuwait Airlines Unite
Turkish Airlines and Kuwait Airways have entered into a codeshare agreement starting Aug. 1. Kuwait Airways operates seven flights a week to Istanbul Airport and another seven a week from Sabiha Gokcen International Airport in Istanbul. Turkish Airlines has 28 flights from Istanbul Airport and 14 from Sabiha Gokcen.

Both airlines are working on incorporating a frequent flier program for the codeshare flights.

Istanbul just opened a new airport.

“The opening of our new home base, Istanbul Airport will further contribute and create new opportunities for our airline and I firmly believe that this codeshare agreement will support promoting the cultural and commercial relations between Istanbul and Kuwait,” said Bilal Eksi, general manager of Turkish Airlines.