World



Here are our top stories in airline news today, from new rules for uncivilized passengers in Chin, to new ways to de-stress in Frankfurt, a controversy over a winning plane photograph in Singapore  to United Airlines’ plans for a 16-hour flight.

Taipei Airport.

Taipei Airport. Image by Stan Wiechers / CC BY-SA 2.0

Two mainland Chinese air passengers have made history by being the first ever to transit through Taiwan. China announced in January that it would begin allowing mainland air travellers to make connecting flights in Taiwan, which had never previously been allowed due to political tensions between the two.

The Silent Chairs in Frankfurt Airport

The Silent Chairs in Frankfurt Airport. Image by Frankfurt Airport

Frankfurt airport has announced some new innovations to help travellers de-stress. The airport is introducing silent chairs for passengers travelling through terminals 1 and 2. The silent chairs help reduce ambient noise through their arched back design, and allow the user to sync their electronic devices with speakers on the inside of the chair. The airport will also be introducing free yoga studios with their own mats and cushions for passengers wishing to decompress.

United Airlines have employed over 200 dogs at several airports across the US to sooth inexperienced travellers before embarking on their planes

United Airlines announces non-stop flights between San Francisco and Singapore. Image by lasta29 / CC BY 2.0

United Airlines has announced its plans for a roughly 16 hour flight between San Francisco and Singapore’s Changi Airport, starting on 1 June.  It will be the first airline to offer a non-stop flight between the cities, and according to United, it will be the only non-stop flight to the US from Singapore. The proposed route is subject to government approval. The flight will leave San Francisco at 11:25 pm daily and arrive in Singapore at 6:45 am two days later.

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Air China - one of the airlines involved in the crackdown on unruly passengers.

Air China – one of the airlines involved in the crackdown on unruly passengers. Image by ERIC SALARD / CC BY-SA 2.0

In an unprecedented turn of events most of the main airlines in China have joined together in a move that would see them placing restrictions on “uncivilized passengers”. Air China, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Hainan Airlines, Spring Airlines released a joint statement saying that a new system for sharing information on unruly passengers between airlines was being developed. The move is part of a wider government campaign to mend the image of unruly and impolite Chinese tourists which are occasionally reported.

Look Up by Chao Yu Sheng was photoshopped

Look Up by Chao Yu Sheng was photoshopped

In Singapore a photo competition has run into controversy over a photo depicting a plane as seen through fire exit steps. The image entitled Look Up, won the amateur photography award sponsored by camera-making company Nikon. But no sooner had the image been posted as the winner, than commenters started drawing attention to how the photo had clearly been photoshopped. Nikon and the photographer Chao Yu Sheng issued an apology, admitting that it was indeed photoshopped, with Nikon saying it had not been noticed by its judges.