He started his journalism career in 1992 as a freelance writer for Sueddeutsche Zeitung, Germany’s largest daily national newspaper and soon specialised in air transport. Jens joined Aviation Week and Aviation Daily in 2000 as one of the European correspondents. Later his role was expanded to cover international air transport. In 2013 he was named Managing Editor Commercial.
Jens frequently appears on radio and TV to comment on industry matters. In 2003, he received the Hugo Junkers Award of the German aviation press for his coverage of Fairchild Dornier’s bankruptcy. He was named the country’s top travel and air transport writer by the Travel Industry Club three times. Jens graduated from the Munich School of Journalism.
British Airways baggage handlers agreed to a new pay deal, offering them a 3% pay increase. The deal also includes the introduction of the controversial swipe card system that led to a wildcat strike by check-in staff earlier this summer (DAILY, July 23). BA has yet to reach agreements with engineers and cabin crew. -JF
The future remains rocky for Swiss International Air Lines, even though the administrative board's decision last week to retain the company's independent status renewed some hopes that the airline could access fresh funding through a global alliance. After months of negotiations, the board opted to have the airline join the Oneworld alliance and conclude a bilateral alliance deal with British Airways (BA). A proposal by Lufthansa that would have integrated Swiss into its group of airlines and the Star Alliance was rejected.
Members of the European Regions Airline Association (ERA) got back on track for growth in the first six months of 2003, albeit with lower growth rates than in the past. Passenger numbers were up 5.4% in the first six months over last year, and revenue passenger miles increased 7%. Despite growth, ERA President and Portugalia CEO Joao Ribeiro da Fonseca said that "the recovery is not yet there, although there are some signs" of change, and "some airlines show some moderate growth."
