“We are pleased to have received this approval. Kigali is one of the routes we have been pursuing in our expansion plan. Once we have everything in place, we will begin operations,” said Vincent Rague, Chairman, Jambojet.

 

Thomas Cook closure

Why did the Thomas Cook empire fall after 178 years in business? The immediate answer is that it was unable to secure a £200M lifeline from its bankers, including government-owned Royal Bank of Scotland. The firm's fate was sealed by a number of factors: financial, social and even meteorological. In addition to the weather issues, and stiff competition from online travel agents and low-cost airlines, there were other disruptive factors, including political unrest around the world that contributed to its downfall.

 

Biometric Boarding on Emirates

Emirates is now approved to offer biometric boarding on flights to the United States. The US Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) approved the Dubai-based airline for facial recognition boarding on flights to their 12 destinations in the United States. The system will identify passengers based on facial recognition technology. Emirates passengers will have the option to opt-in for biometric boarding and those who don't will not be required to use the system. This development was announced in a press release from the airline. This system is designed to save on the time it takes to board some of their massive aircrafts, like the A380. This is similar to what Delta Air Lines and American Airlines have done at some of their hubs.

 

In-Flight Coffee? Perhaps Not.

When you fly, do you drink the airline's in-flight coffee? When you use the restroom, do you wash your hands or maybe even drink from the faucet there? A new study of airlines' water quality suggests that maybe you shouldn't. The quality of water found in an airplane's tanks can vary considerably from one carrier to another. This is according to the 2019 Airline Water Study from DietDetective.com and the Hunter College NYC Food Policy Center. In fact, the study's authors suggest that to be perfectly safe, airline passengers should not drink coffee or tea served onboard. They should not wash their hands in the lavatory, but should bring along their own hand sanitizer instead. They add that passengers should never drink any water onboard a commercial flight unless it comes out of a sealed bottle.

 

Boeing 737 Max 8 Update

Boeing has announced that families of those who were in the Ethiopian Airlines crash will be given Ksh. 15million each. The compensation fund is for passengers who died in the Ethiopian Airlines crash earlier this year in March. According to CBS news, Ken Feinberg, who oversaw the compensation for victims of the September 11, 2001, expressed concerns over how they would locate families in 35 different countries. “Finding all of these heirs and making sure the funds will be safe and secure will be a real challenge,” he said as quoted by Reuters.

 

50% Off Business Class on EgyptAir

EgyptAir has announced that it has launched a 50% discount on their Business class fares between Cairo and most of their operating international destinations.

The North African carrier said this was in line with the carrier’s plan to provide the optimum service for the best and competitive fares. The airline offers premium business class products such as the Super Diamond Full Flat Bed seats on the Boeing Dreamliner B787-9 aircraft, and Full Flat Bed on both the Boeing 777-300ER and Airbus A330-300 aircraft.