Finnair Named World's Greenest Airline: Airline Pulse News and Notes for May 5, 2016

by Josh Lew
Last updated: 10:45 AM ET, Thu May 5, 2016

Photo courtesy of Thinkstock

Lufthansa Scales Back Growth Plans Because of Pricing Pressure
Stiff competition in Europe has forced Lufthansa to scale back its ambitious growth plans. The German carrier will boost capacity by 6 percent (down from a planned 6.6 percent) after a weaker than expected first quarter.

Delta CEO Says MSP Could Get Haneda Flight
New Delta CEO Ed Bastian visited his airline's second largest hub in Minneapolis this week. While there, he suggested that the northern airport could be at the top of the list to be awarded a direct flight to Tokyo Haneda when the DOT fills the six new slots for the airport.

Bombardier Could Now Score A Deal with JetBlue
Bombardier could finally be getting some momentum for its CSeries jets. Just after a major order from Delta Air Lines, the Canadian plane maker became the center of rumors involving JetBlue. Both the airline and manufacturer refused to comment, but sources at both companies have spoken (on condition of anonymity) and claim that a deal is in the works.

Finnair Is The World's Greenest Airline
A new study by the UK's University of Warwick in Coventry says that Finnair has the lowest carbon emissions of any airline in the world. The Helsinki-based airline is a pioneer in the use of alternative jet fuels. Virgin Australia and TAP Portugal also performed well on the study.

JUST THE LINKS

The European Aviation Safety Agency has set up a task force to deal with the dangers posed by drones. Airlines and plane manufacturers will study the possibility of collisions and the potential for damage.

Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson will close one of its three security checkpoints for about three weeks while it installs new security screening equipment. Officials say that the new units will allow the TSA to provide passengers with "more reasonable" wait times.

Some major airports in the U.S. are gearing up for Olympic travelers heading to and returning from Brazil by installing signage that alerts warns of the potential dangers of the Zika virus. Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Atlanta and Orlando are among the hubs that are preparing to educate and screen passengers going to and from Brazil this summer.

Alaska Airlines announced that its traffic grew by 11 percent in April. The growth included its regional subsidiary Horizon Air and third-party regional partners.

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