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.
Air Berlin is seriously considering selling its subsidiary LTU and may entirely pull out of long-haul services, according to company sources. The airline’s board of directors authorized CEO Joachim Hunold and the executive board to prepare the sale of LTU, according to an internal letter addressed to the airline’s senior management obtained by the Daily.
Lufthansa and cabin crew union UFO may announce a new pay deal today, according to sources close to the negotiations. The two sides reached significant progress in talks over the weekend, the sources said. One official noted that “an agreement in the next few days is likely.” In a ballot, 96% of UFO’s members voted in favor of going on strike. The union originally wanted a 15% pay increase and work rule improvements, but it’s unclear how much of its former demand it has given up.
LAN Airlines expects its unique business model to get it through the current industry downturn in good shape, as the carrier benefits from the diversification strategy it developed during the past 10 years. “The first quarter of 2009 will still be reasonably good and we will still grow this year,” says President/CEO Enrique Cueto. Last year, LAN managed to significantly grow revenues and profits. The carrier is one of few worldwide with an investment-grade rating, which makes loans cheaper for it than for most of its competitors.
