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Paddle Your Own Kanoo

United CEO Scott Kirby says airline should eliminate situations requiring flight attendant apologies

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said the carrier should address the operational and customer-service failures that leave flight attendants apologizing to passengers. The comments underscore his focus on strengthening United’s customer brand loyalty as the airline continues its broader transformation.

ch-aviation

High activity

UK air traffic control outage triggers more than 2,000 flight disruptions and calls for NATS reform

A technical failure at National Air Traffic Services disrupted flights across the UK, with more than 1,000 cancellations reported and total disruptions exceeding 2,000. Transport Secretary calls the failure avoidable, while Ryanair and Wizz Air demand urgent reforms as schedules gradually return to normal.

FlightGlobal

South Korea’s T’way Air rebrands as Trinity Airways, shifting toward selective-service model

South Korean low-cost operator T’way Air has officially become Trinity Airways, with the first aircraft in the new corporate identity entering service. The rebrand formalizes a move toward a “selective service carrier” model, tailoring onboard and passenger offerings by route rather than applying one uniform standard.

Business Traveller

High activity

Avianca and Air Cairo add 27 Airbus A320neos through lease-backed and direct orders

BOC Aviation will acquire 12 Airbus A320neos for long-term lease to Avianca, with CFM LEAP-1A engines and deliveries scheduled for 2029. Separately, EgyptAir subsidiary Air Cairo placed a firm order for 15 A320neos, expanding its fleet through direct ownership as it pursues regional growth.

Bloomberg

High activity

NATS outage cancels more than 2,000 UK flights, prompting calls for system overhaul

UK air travel is recovering after a NATS flight-processing failure disrupted operations, canceled more than 2,000 flights and stranded hundreds of thousands of passengers. Although services returned to normal and NATS ruled out a cyber attack, aircraft and crew repositioning is extending the disruption.

Reuters

High activity

NATS failure triggers 1,700 UK flight cancellations, with disruption continuing at Heathrow

A systems failure at UK air traffic control provider NATS caused 1,700 flight cancellations on Tuesday and more than 300 on Wednesday, with Heathrow among the airports still affected. The government has given NATS one week to investigate as airlines work through continuing delays and cancellations.

Via Satellite

AT&T deepens Amazon Leo integration as Delta prepares for satellite Wi-Fi transition

AT&T says it will become the first major U.S. telecom provider to integrate Amazon Leo satellite connectivity with fiber and 5G, offering businesses more resilient broadband. Amazon’s constellation is also slated to replace Viasat as Delta’s next-generation in-flight Wi-Fi provider, although a potential spectrum dispute could complicate the transition.

Associated Press

TSA opens secure gate access to ticketless PreCheck members at 13 U.S. airports

The TSA has launched a program allowing eligible TSA PreCheck members without plane tickets to clear security and enter airport gate areas at 13 U.S. airports. The initiative restores limited non-passenger access 25 years after the Sept. 11 attacks tightened checkpoint controls.