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.
Regulatory and political concerns continue to discourage transatlantic consolidation, as evidenced in Air France-KLM’s decision against investing in a combined Delta and Northwest.
A nasty, drawn-out fight is brewing between the BAA airport authority and its major airline customers over serious service disruptions at London Heathrow and surcharges that keep ratcheting up at other facilities. Airlines, increasingly frustrated by the current situation, are finding this a propitious time to be heard. A government review on the future of BAA, including whether to break up the near-monopoly of major London airports, is well underway, with an interim report by the U.K. Competition Commission imminent.
Air France-KLM may still invest in the combined airline made up of Delta and Northwest, but only at a later date, industry sources told The DAILY. In a surprise announcement, Air France-KLM said on Tuesday that it will not take an equity stake in the new company because it was not necessary. It would have only considered doing so to facilitate the merger and keep any of the two airlines from leaving the SkyTeam alliance.
