Not So 'Happy Christmas' For Brindabella Staff

A Brindabella Airlines plane at Sydney Airport. Photograph: AAP/James Morgan, Ian Bird

Nearly all staff at troubled regional carrier Brindabella Airlines have been told they're out of a job just two days before Christmas.

The 140 workers at the Canberra-based airline were told on Monday that 128 of them had lost their jobs.

Staff were told the airline could no longer be sold after it lost most of its licences and the majority of its planes were returned to their owners.

All but a dozen staff at the cash-strapped airline will be retrenched, as the receiver, KordaMentha, tries to sell the company's remaining assets, mainly four J-41 aircraft.

A KordaMentha spokesman, Michael Smith, said the receivers did not want to dangle false hope in front of the workers once it became clear there wasn't anything left to sell.

"It's a terrible time of year for this to happen," he said on Monday. "But the receivers thought it was better to be upfront with the workers as soon as the worst had been realised, to give them every possible chance to use the holiday period to look for work."

First UK Airline To Apply New Rules on Electronic Devices.

Small electronic devices, including tablets, smartphones and e-readers, can now be used on British Airways flights during take off and landing. Photograph: High Level/Rex Features

Last week, British Airways  become the first UK airline to take advantage of the new European rules allowing in-flight use of electronic devices during all phases of flight.

The agreement with the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), which lifted previous restrictions after an European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) ruling in November, allows passengers on BA flights to use their phones, tablets, e-readers and music players set to “airplane mode” throughout their entire journey, including take off and landing.

“We know that our customers want to use their handheld electronic devices more, so this will be very welcome news for them," said BA flight training manager Captain Ian Pringle.

Russian Airline Grounded

A Tatarstan Airlines Boeing 737 crashed and exploded at the airport in the Tatarstan region's capital Kazan last month, killing all 44 passengers  Photo: AP

By Reuters

Russia's airline regulator said it was grounding the regional carrier last week following a crash on November 17 that killed 50 people.

A Tatarstan Airlines Boeing 737 crashed and exploded at the airport in the Tatarstan region's capital Kazan last month, killing all 44 passengers - including a son of the oil-producing Russia province's leader - and six crew.

The crash highlighted the poor safety record of regional airlines that ply internal routes in Russia.

The regulator Rosaviatsia said it will cancel the airline's license from December 31 after inspections revealed "violations in established flight norms, working hours and rest periods for the flight crew and qualification standards of the crew."

UK Air Traffic Control - Problem Fixed After Day Of Mass Disruption

Technical problems that caused delays and cancellations at airports across the UK and Ireland have been resolved, the National Air Traffic Service (Nats) has said.

Airline passengers suffered a day of delays and frustration as a telephone system glitch at air traffic control caused major disruption. Hundreds of flights were cancelled or delayed after the problem arose at the Nats centre in Swanwick, Hampshire. Thousands of people were caught up in the chaos, which hit major airports including Heathrow, Stansted and Gatwick. Passengers are also expected to be affected as knock-on effects hit flights on Sunday.

Nats' night-time operating system, which combines sectors of airspace for when it is less busy, did not properly switch over to the daytime system, causing a communication problem with the centre's internal telephones. They stressed that safety was not at risk at any time. At 7.30pm tonight, a Nats spokesman said: "The problem that arose this morning with the ground communications system in the area control operations room at Nats Swanwick has now been resolved and operations are returning to normal.

"The technical and operational contingency measures we have had in place all day have enabled us to deliver more than 80% of our normal operation. "The reduction in capacity has had a disproportionate effect on southern England because it is extremely complex and busy airspace and we sincerely regret inconvenience to our airline customers and their passengers.

Jetstar to blame for Qantas Troubles.

Qantas staff have reacted angrily to news the company will shed 1000 jobs, blaming the company's heavy investment in Jetstar for redundancies they first heard about in the media.

Australia's national carrier today announced it would axe at least 1000 jobs over the next year and warned that it would slump to a loss of up to $300 million in the first half, blaming a market deterioration in trading conditions and weaker return on fares.

If you ask the majority of the staff they’ll say Jetstar has ruined us. They’ve bled us dry. 

‘‘The first I heard of it was on the radio,’’ one Qantas international engineer told Fairfax Media on Thursday. ‘‘I’ve got a gut feeling it’s not good for us. Engineers will definitely be asked to go.’’

Qantas. Photo: Getty Images

Qantas Junk

Qantas has struggled domestically and on long-haul air routes

Qantas woe's just keep on coming.

The credit standing of embattled Australian airline Qantas has been downgraded by a leading rating agency to "junk" status.  Standard & Poor's reassessment of the world's second oldest airline comes after the carrier issued a shock profit warning and slashed jobs on Thursday.   Qantas revealed a half-year loss of £165m and said it would axe 1,000 jobs as it struggles under the weight of record fuel costs, fierce competition from subsidised rivals and a strong Australian dollar.

Wideroe Sale Complete

SAS Scandinavian Airlines has completed the previously announced sale of 80% of regional carrier Widerøe to a Norwegian investor group, netting about SEK2 billion ($311 million), which includes aircraft-related transactions. The investor group comprises Torghatten ASA, Fjord1 AS and Nordland Fylkeskommune.

The sale, which was announced in May, is part of the carrier’s survival strategy.

SAS Group president and CEO Rickard Gustafson said recently the carrier had to make “some big movements and steps” during the restructuring process. “The sale of Widerøe was one of these.”

The proceeds from the transaction are expected to reduce SAS’ net debt by a corresponding amount, the airline said in a statement.

Approximately half of the proceeds will strengthen SAS’ cash and cash equivalent position. In addition, the transaction will reduce the previously announced negative effect on SAS shareholders’ equity from amended reporting rules for pensions by approximately SEK1 billion.

SAS will divest the remaining shares in Widerøe during 2016.

Asiana Airlines Faces Legal Battle Over Crash

In the first investigation of its kind, federal transportation officials are reviewing whether Asiana Airlines failed to meet legal obligations to help the families of passengers after one of its planes crashed at San Francisco International Airport in July.

Three people died and dozens were injured when Asiana Flight 214 clipped a seawall while landing on 6 July, following a trip from South Korea, where the airline is based. Under US law, Asiana was required to provide a range of services to family members of the 291 passengers, from the prompt posting of a toll-free number to gather and distribute information to providing transportation and lodging so family members could comfort injured loved ones.

Congress created the rules in the late 1990s, following crashes after which airlines were roundly criticized for ignoring family members. However, the government rarely audits the plans to check whether airlines can deliver the assurances they make on paper, and an Associated Press review of documents filed by two dozen foreign airlines found cases in which carriers had not updated their plans.

Asiana's plan was last updated in 2004. After the crash, problems with the airline's response were almost immediately apparent.

JetBlue's new Mint!

JetBlue, the single-class carrier whose brand was built partly on the idea that it treats all its passengers equally, will launch a new premium class next summer.

Available only on flights between New York and San Francisco and New York and Los Angeles, the new premium section, dubbed "Mint," will feature lie-flat seats, its own tapas-style menu, and customized amenity kits. The first flight with the new premium section will take off from New York's JFK to Los Angeles International Airport on June 15, 2014.

TAM Alliance Switch.

Brazilian carrier TAM will officially switch to the oneworld frequent-flier alliance on March 31. The move will take the airline out of the Star Alliance, with TAM saying its membership in that group will formally end on March 30.

TAM is part of the LATAM Airlines Group, created out of the 2012 merger between TAM and Chile-based LAN. LAN has been a longtime member of the oneworld group. Chilean regulators required LATAM subsidiaries LAN and TAM to exit one of the alliances as a condition for the merger.

TAM's parent company said in March that oneworld would be the chosen alliance, though the timing for a switch remained uncertain until today's announcement.

More Pilots for American

American Airlines plans to hire 1,500 pilots over the next five years as it expands international flying and takes delivery of new planes, the carrier said on Monday.

The AMR Corp unit, which has been operating under Chapter 11 protection since late 2011 and is looking to emerge from bankruptcy by merging with US Airways Group Inc, said it will post open jobs October 1 and start training in winter.

The Fort Worth-based company said its plans call for hiring and training 40 to 50 pilots a month beginning this winter. The airline is also in the process of hiring and training 1,500 new flight attendants.

The hiring reflects operational needs, projected retirements and new Federal Aviation Administration rules requiring increased experience and rest for pilots, American Airlines said in a statement. The planned merger has no bearing on the hiring plans, a spokesman added.

Alitalia Aircraft Skids Off Runway in Rome

A plane has skidded off the runway at Rome's Fiumicino airport after its landing gear malfunctioned during a thunderstorm.

Officials said there were around 10 people who suffered "light injuries" and were treated by medical staff at the airport, according to the ANSA news agency.

The plane, an Airbus A320 belonging to flagship carrier Alitalia, had flown from Madrid with 151 passengers on board.

It came to rest on its side near the runway.

The pilot realised as he was coming in that the plane's right wheels had failed to deploy and he warned air traffic control ahead of time, ANSA said.

The plane then toppled on its right wing during landing and could be seen on its side near the runway.

The national air transport safety agency has opened an investigation into the incident, and officers have been sent to examine the plane.

More 787 woes

(c) planespotters.net

Glitches are keeping Boeing's Dreamliners in the headlines, including two new problems that came to light during the weekend. The issues have been considered to be minor, but their frequency is creating operational frustrations among Boeing's 787 customers.

Reuters reports a Dreamliner for Polish airline LOT had to divert to Iceland on Sunday because of a glitch in the the aircraft's identification system, according to an airline spokeswoman.

The flight was en route to Warsaw from Toronto when it made the unscheduled stop at the Iceland's Keflavik airport near Reykjavik.

REUTERS: LOT 787 Dreamliner forced to land in Iceland
REUTERS: Analysis: New trial for Boeing as Norwegian demands 787 repairs

"The aircraft had to land due to an air identification system fault," LOT spokeswoman Barbara Pijanowska-Kuras tells Reuters. "The Norwegian authorities have refused permission to fly over its territory, even though other countries gave permission to fly over theirs."

Frontier Airlines Sold Cheap.

The funky tailed Frontier Airlines is to be sold off at a dirty cheap price to William Franke, a pioneer of the cheap tickets and high fees airline business that has spread overseas and is growing in the U.S.

Franke is the former chairman of Spirit Airlines, which has earned consistent profits by jamming more seats on its planes and charging extra for things that other airlines do for free, such as printing a boarding pass at the airport, or using the overhead bin.

Franke's Indigo Partners LLC is buying Frontier for $36 million plus assumed debt. He made it clear that he'll steer Frontier in the same direction as Spirit.

"We endorse and will support continued efforts to build Frontier into a leading nationwide ultra-low cost carrier," Franke said in a statement announcing the deal on Tuesday.

Frontier began moving in that direction last year as Republic Airways got ready to sell it. On Aug. 6 it began charging as much as $100 each way for carry-on bags for some tickets purchased somewhere other than Frontier's website.

A 63-year-old United Airlines pilot who had a heart attack mid-flight has died, an Idaho hospital tells The Associated Press.

That came after the captain of United Flight 1603 had a heat attack, prompted the Seattle-bound flight to divert and make an emergency landing in Boise on Thursday evening. An off-duty pilot helped land the plane.

The Boeing 737-900 landed safely there after originating from Houston Bush Intercontinental Airport, according to United.