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FlightGlobal • David Kaminski-Morrow

DGCA orders carriers to allocate 60% of domestic seats free, bans family seating fees

India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation has ordered carriers to allocate at least 60% of seats on domestic flights without seat-selection charges, require families on the same booking to be seated together free of extra fees, and set clearer rules for pets, sports equipment and passenger rights.

2026-03-18T04:19:41.163800-07:00

Bloomberg

How Southwest Secured an Advantage at Major U.S. Airports

2026-03-18T07:30:07.044876-07:00

Air Data News

KLM Cityhopper restores full E195‑E2 fleet as Pratt & Whitney GTF pressures ease

2026-03-18T07:21:31.528551-07:00

ch-aviation

Aegean to invest €10m ($11.5m) more in Spain’s Volotea

2026-03-18T05:40:42.659835-07:00

News Timeline

Inflight Online

Lufthansa adds BABOR personalised skincare to long‑haul First and Business cabins Lufthansa has partnered with German skincare brand BABOR to offer a personalised skincare menu and premium amenity kits on long‑haul flights, launching in First Class from late March and rolling into Business Class in early May. The move forms part of the airline’s Future Onboard Experience (FOX) programme.

2026-03-18T07:54:01.959599-07:00

Lufthansa adds BABOR personalised skincare to long‑haul First and Business cabins

Bloomberg

How Southwest Secured an Advantage at Major U.S. Airports Southwest has carved an advantage at the largest U.S. airports by aligning its hub strategy and network tactics to compete with legacy carriers and repel low-cost rivals. In markets where major airlines staked hub dominance, Southwest’s focused approach has let it defend turf and expand share amid fierce competition.

2026-03-18T07:30:07.044876-07:00

How Southwest Secured an Advantage at Major U.S. Airports

Air Data News

KLM Cityhopper restores full E195‑E2 fleet as Pratt & Whitney GTF pressures ease KLM Cityhopper is returning its remaining grounded Embraer E195‑E2s to service, restoring the regional operator’s full E2 fleet after a period of GTF‑related groundings. The move signals an operational improvement in Pratt & Whitney’s PW1000G situation and should free short‑haul capacity across KLM’s network.

2026-03-18T07:21:31.528551-07:00

KLM Cityhopper restores full E195‑E2 fleet as Pratt & Whitney GTF pressures ease

ch-aviation

Arkia and El Al resume Tel Aviv–New York service Arkia Israeli Airlines restarted its Tel Aviv–New York JFK service on March 18, 2026, restoring the 3x-weekly route after a prior suspension. El Al has also resumed New York flights, marking a return of Israeli carriers to scheduled transatlantic operations.

2026-03-18T06:21:11.395049-07:00

Arkia and El Al resume Tel Aviv–New York service

ch-aviation

Aegean to invest €10m ($11.5m) more in Spain’s Volotea Aegean Airlines (A3) will invest an additional €10 million (about $11.5 million) in Spanish low-cost carrier Volotea (V7), increasing its financial exposure to the Barcelona-based group. The cash injection reinforces Aegean’s strategic partnership with a rapidly expanding regional LCC.

2026-03-18T05:40:42.659835-07:00

Aegean to invest €10m ($11.5m) more in Spain’s Volotea

AeroTime

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Jet-fuel surge forces SAS to scrap ~1,000 April flights; Air New Zealand consolidates services SAS plans to cancel about 1,000 April flights and Air New Zealand is consolidating or cutting domestic and long-haul services as Middle East-driven jet-fuel prices spike. Carriers are reducing capacity, passing costs into fares or surcharges, and rivals like Norwegian are filling some routes.

2026-03-18T04:30:05.959876-07:00

Jet-fuel surge forces SAS to scrap ~1,000 April flights; Air New Zealand consolidates services

FlightGlobal

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DGCA orders carriers to allocate 60% of domestic seats free, bans family seating fees India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation has ordered carriers to allocate at least 60% of seats on domestic flights without seat-selection charges, require families on the same booking to be seated together free of extra fees, and set clearer rules for pets, sports equipment and passenger rights.

2026-03-18T04:19:41.163800-07:00

DGCA orders carriers to allocate 60% of domestic seats free, bans family seating fees

AeroTime

Jetstar launches 'BidCash' upgrade bidding as Qantas curtails lounge access on international JQ flights from 1 July 2026 Jetstar has launched BidCash, enabling customers to bid for business-class upgrades on international services and plans to extend the program to Qantas Frequent Flyer members. Qantas will remove automatic Gold/Platinum and Qantas Club lounge access on international Jetstar (JQ) flights from 1 July 2026.

2026-03-18T03:40:42.174196-07:00

Jetstar launches 'BidCash' upgrade bidding as Qantas curtails lounge access on international JQ flights from 1 July 2026

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Airlines News

DGCA orders carriers to allocate 60% of domestic seats free, bans family seating fees

How Southwest Secured an Advantage at Major U.S. Airports

KLM Cityhopper restores full E195‑E2 fleet as Pratt & Whitney GTF pressures ease

Aegean to invest €10m ($11.5m) more in Spain’s Volotea

News Timeline