ANA, AirAsia to set up low-cost carrier in Japan

Japan's All Nippon Airways and Malaysia's AirAsia said on Thursday they will launch a new low-cost airline in Japan to further tap Asia's burgeoning budget-travel market.

Tourists dominate on world's longest 747 route for Qantas

The first Qantas flight from Sydney to Dallas arrived at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport in May. Photo: AP

Qantas's new flights to north Texas are carrying mostly leisure passengers from Australia looking to visit the US, airline figures show.

The Flying Kangaroo started services to Dallas/Fort Worth in May, operating four times a week using a Boeing 747-400ER.

Airline, FAA at odds over emergency landing at DFW

 

View footage and news report

— American Airlines was at odds with the FAA on Monday over what happened on board a Boeing 777 wide body jet that made an emergency landing at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport Sunday night.

A viewer snapped photos of the plane flying low and dumping fuel after taking off for Brazil and circling for an unplanned return to D/FW.

Officials with American say an indicator light suggested the plane's right engine caught fire, but the airline says there was no fire.

The FAA said airport fire-fighters reported spraying foam on the wheels after the plane landed.

The entire event played out in the North Texas sky around 8 o'clock as hundreds, perhaps thousands looked up. Fans at the Texas Rangers game could see it, and some called police reporting a plane on fire.

Within seconds of take-off, pilots of the Boeing 777 knew there was trouble. A panel light indicated a possible engine fire, so they started dumping fuel and making plans for an emergency landing.

Dave Jennings could see it unfolding from his home in Carrollton.

"I looked up and saw it dumping fuel, made a sharp turn over the house, and then back towards the west," he said. "I grabbed my phone cam and took out after it."

Jennings' video shows the plane dumping fuel, as it apparently did for most of its 12-minute flight. Fully loaded for the long trip to Sao Paolo, Brazil, the jet was too heavy to land.

American said after the jet took off heading south, the pilots made a left turn over Irving. Flying at a lower-than-usual altitude, the big jet flew across Interstate 35E, then turned north toward Carrollton before turning back to D/FW for the emergency landing.

Some people along the route said the dumped fuel coated their cars and floated on their pools.

Witnesses couldn't help but worry. "I hope it's fuel they are dumping and not smoke coming out the back," Jennings said.

American Airlines told News 8 there was no engine fire and that it had received no complaints of fuel contamination.

Any residents with legitimate concerns should contact American's customer relations department.

But in conflict with what the airline said, the FAA says fire-fighters reported extinguishing a fire in the jet's right engine.

A spokesman for D/FW Airport said its fire-fighters did use foam, but that it was sprayed on the wheels and brakes; after the plane landed, it was still so heavy that several tires blew out and overheated the brakes.

American said the entire event remains under investigation.

Airline, FAA at odds over emergency landing at D/FW | wfaa.com Dallas - Fort Worth

American Airlines Orders 460 Planes

AMR Corp.'s American Airlines, despite years of losses and an increasing debt load, showed it is still a high roller by ordering 460 new aircraft from Boeing Co. and Airbus with a total sticker price of nearly $40 billion.

U.S. airlines fight prospect of higher security fees

 

U.S. airlines are fighting the prospect of sharply higher passenger security fees that could be part of any deficit-reduction plan.

In other news….

 

GULF AIR has signed a joint marketing agreement to aggressively drive inbound tourism from the Middle East to Copenhagen.

The agreement between the airline and the route development programme for the city, Copenhagen Connected, is expected to boost sales to Gulf Air's newest destination.

The agreement was signed at a press conference marking the airline's inaugural flight to Copenhagen.

Gulf Air CCO Karim Makhlouf said: "We believe that with the opening of our new Copenhagen connection and aggressive marketing campaign in collaboration with Connected Copenhagen, Denmark will soon become a popular destination for tourists from the region."

SHENZHEN AIRLINES, the fifth largest carrier in China, has been accepted as a future Star Alliance member.

Bringing Shenzhen Airlines into the alliance is part of a long-term strategy to expand the Star Alliance network into the future growth markets, providing the international traveller with optimal flight options.

Star Alliance CEO Jaan Albrecht said: "With the approval of our Chief Executive Board (CEB) we today formally start the integration process of Shenzhen Airlines, which upon completion will allow Star Alliance to once again enlarge its offer across mainland China and neighbouring countries."

LUFTHANSA has opened a new lounge at Frankfurt Airport complete with spa facilities and seating for over 300 guests.

The First Senator Lounge in the departures area of the airport's Terminal 1 is the carrier's largest lounge and covers an area of more than 1,800sqm.

A spokesman said: "Frequent flyers who have achieved Senator status now have an opportunity to relax in style at Lufthansa's largest airport lounge.

"Top customers can for the first time enjoy a modern wellness area with luxury facilities that include ten showers and two spa rooms."

Lufthansa Senator Card holders can unwind and enjoy massages, facials, full-body treatments or other beauty treatments.

SWISS has introduced new apps for Android and Nokia smartphones allowing customers to obtain information, book tickets, check in and receive mobile boarding passes.

Similar apps for BlackBerry, iPhone and Windows Phone 7 have already proved successful and SWISS now offers apps for most smart mobile phones.

With the iPhone and the Android, the boarding pass can be received directly as soon as the customer has checked in and can be called up again by simply shaking the phone.

The apps also provide the very latest details of a SWISS flight's departure or arrival time.

AIR FRANCE has launched a new route from Paris to Lima, the capital city of Peru.

The carrier is operating five weekly flights between the two cities, complementing the seven weekly flights to Lima operated by KLM out of Amsterdam.

A spokesman said: "We have witnessed Peru's impressive development, economic growth and its reputation among the international community.

"This new Paris-Lima route will also increase the opportunities for transporting goods between our continents."

Air France and KLM offer weekly cargo hold capacity of up to 165 tonnes on the route.

EMIRATES 'ice' system has scooped the World's Best Airline Inflight Entertainment award for the seventh consecutive year.

The airline's latest system, ice Digital Widescreen, offers a choice of over 1,200 channels of entertainment, including over 280 movies from around the world, hundreds of TV choices and thousands of music tracks from contemporary to classical.

Patrick Brannelly, Emirates vice president corporate communications, said: "This year's Skytrax World's Best Airline Inflight Entertainment award once again underlines our relentless commitment to providing the best inflight entertainment in the air - offering more content, in more languages and ultimately more choice, than ever before."

DELTA AIR LINES has launched a new non-stop service between Detroit and Beijing, its third destination in China.

The flight will operate five days each week on 269-seat Boeing 777 aircraft featuring full flat-bed seats in BusinessElite, as well as Delta's new Economy Comfort class, which offers additional legroom and early boarding.

Vinay Dube, Delta's senior vice president - Asia Pacific, said: "As a major gateway to the region, our Detroit hub is a key part of our Asian network, and our new flight to Beijing will mean even more opportunities for economic development and job growth in the city."

AIRBERLIN is expanding its junior management scheme to offer engineering and business science, as well as aeronautics, graduates an 18-month trainee programme.

In the course of the programme, trainees will get to know all aspects of airberlin technik, the aircraft maintenance section of the airberlin group, and become actively involved in the production, engineering and planning, business development and controlling departments.

Trainees will be based in Berlin and Dusseldorf and the programme will include taking responsibility for managing projects associated with aircraft maintenance and servicing.

Updated - Air Malta: Strike may cause airline to collapse

 

Air Malta warned in a judicial protest today that it may have to permanently stop operations if a threatened pilots' strike goes ahead.

In a judicial protest filed against the Association of Airline Pilots (ALPA), the airline said that should its flights be stopped by the strike, it would incur enormous costs and there would be a clear and imminent danger of it having to stop operations.

Gun Found At Newark After Jet Blue Flight.

Federal US officials are attempting to determine how a stun gun was brought on-board a JetBlue flight that landed at Newark airport in New Jersey.

Airbus trying to break Boeing monopoly at American Airlines

 

European aircraft manufacturer Airbus is trying to break Boeing's monopoly at American Airlines, which is considering an order of 250 passenger planes, The Wall Street Journal reported late Monday.

Citing unnamed people familiar with industry proposals, the newspaper said Airbus had assembled a team of lenders and leasing firms to help it dangle almost $6 billion in preferential financing before American Airlines.

Airbus's offer has a catalog value of almost $23 billion, but that is being heavily discounted, the report said.

The unit of European Aeronautics Defence & Space Co., is offering American 130 of the current-generation A320s and 130 of the more fuel-efficient A320neo, the paper noted.

However, Boeing wants to keep Airbus out of American hangars, The Journal said.

Jim Albaugh, chief executive of Boeing's commercial airplane unit, is expected to meet with American officials on Monday.

Boeing is offering 737-800s and 737-900 Extended Range planes, but the price and financing terms are unclear, the paper said.

"Right now, Boeing is in a tough situation," said The Journal quoted Adam Pilarski, senior vice president at aviation consulting firm Avitas, as saying. "They need to try to convince the airline to give them a few more months to announce their intentions for the 737

AFP: Airbus trying to break Boeing monopoly at AA: report

Qantas pilots vote to authorise strikes, seek more talks

 

Australia's Qantas Airways  faces a risk of more industrial unrest after a pilot's union authorised strike action, though a work stoppage did not look imminent as the union said it wanted to continue talks with the airline.

Anti-APD campaign hits UK airports

 

A campaign to persuade the government to drop a planned rise in air passenger duty (APD) began today at airports, with campaigners handing leaflets to passengers declaring ‘Hands off our holiday, Mr Taxman’.

Fighter plane collision at Duxford show investigated

 

An inquiry has begun after two classic US fighter planes collided during an air display show in Cambridgeshire.

One of the planes, thought to be a P-51 Mustang, plummeted to the ground after their wings touched, forcing the pilot to parachute to safety.

The pilot of the other plane, a Skyraider, went on to land safely, after the military aircraft took to the air during the Flying Legends show.

Survivors pulled from DR Congo plane crash -

 

A plane carrying 112 people has crashed at Kisangani international airport in Democratic Republic of Congo.

40 survivors have been pulled from the plane, according to a government spokesman.

The plane was trying to land in bad weather, an official for the Congolese airline Hewa Bora said.