A strong Australian dollar is good news for travellers and for airlines. However, flag carrier Qantas, which has seen an upsurge in bookings on its budget brand Jetstar, is also facing an increase in competition. For the year to 30 June, Jetstar was responsible for 26 per cent of its parent’s total earnings.

Out of A$644 million, A$169 came from the low-cost carrier. Other budget airlines are aiming to tap in to the market, and as of this summer Scoot, owned by Singapore Airlines will be putting the pressure on the flying kangaroo by shuttling 400 people per day to holiday destinations in Asia.

Malaysian-based Air Asia X is also cashing in. The company recently announced that it would be slimming down its operations in Europe because of the high… Read the full story

by Mia Harris on January 31st, 2012

A Qantas passenger jet flying to Brisbane from Darwin has been forced to make a landing in Mount Isa in Queensland. The incident occurred after the crew decided to take a precautionary measure after a smell in the forward cabin was detected. The plane had 161 passengers on board.

Everyone managed to get off the plane safely after a forklift with a cage was used to evacuate the aircraft. The forklift was used because there are no stairs available for the use by passengers at the regional airport. All of those on board were then put onto another flight which has since arrived in Brisbane.

According to passenger Carl Hannin, the ground crew did a good job and managed to get everyone safely onto the tarmac. He said that a… Read the full story

by Riley Walker on January 30th, 2012

Airbus has eased concerns over the cracks which have been found in the wing brackets of its A380 planes by saying that it understands the problem and has a simple way of fixing it. European safety authorities last week ordered an inspection of the planes.

Singapore Airlines has already inspected four of its fleet of superjumbos and said that it had found cracks in the wings of all of them. Repairs have already been made to one of the planes, and it has now returned to service. Another is due to resume flights today.

Qantas has 12 A380s in its fleet, but because they are relatively young compared to other airlines, the carrier has been told that inspection is not compulsory. The Qantas superjumbos are also used for some of… Read the full story

by Aadyn Taylor on January 27th, 2012

The dispute between Qantas and its engineers has come to a close after the endorsement of a three-year agreement by Fair Work Australia. Licensed engineers will now be given an annual three per cent pay rise and extended hour roster restrictions will be eased. There are also now some new arrangements pertaining to retirement.

Alan Joyce, chief executive of Qantas said he was thankful that the dispute was finally over. The situation came to a head when Mr Joyce ordered the airline’s global fleet to be grounded at the end of October last year.

The airline still has to go through compulsory arbitration at some point this year with the unions representing its pilots and ground workers. However, neither of the groups are allowed to take industrial action.

Mr Joyce… Read the full story

by Isabella Robinson on January 26th, 2012

Qantas has joined a number of other airlines in rerouting planes to avoid the possible consequences of a solar radiation storm. Jets have been sent on routes further south of the poles than they would usually travel because solar storms can interfere with communication systems. Planes travelling over the Arctic use high-frequency radios, rather than satellite systems on such routes.

According to solar physicist Doug Biesecker the current storm is the strongest to occur since 2003. Other airlines to have confirmed that they will be adjusting their routes include Delta Air Lines and Air Canada.

Delta’s Anthony Black said that in order to avoid radio disruptions services would avoid the pole, which would add around 15 minutes to journeys. Airlines fly over the arctic because it is the fastest way… Read the full story

by Lily Thompson on January 25th, 2012

The Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association has called on Qantas to subject is fleet of Airbus 380s to checks after cracks were found on the wings of superjumbos flying with other airlines. The European Aviation Safety Agency has said that visual checks need to be made by some airlines, but have excluded Qantas from the ruling.

Paul Cousins, president of the ALAEA, said all A380 fleets should have to undergo inspection. He explained that there was a concern that the cracking could have a knock on effect. The problem has been found in a wing bracket. If that bracket continues to deteriorate, then extra pressure could be placed on other brackets, causing the problem to cascade.

According to safety authorities, the damage found in the brackets which join the skin… Read the full story

by Riley Walker on January 23rd, 2012

Airlines have rejected the idea of placing a tax on fat people after Tony Webber, Qantas’ former chief economist, suggested that larger people pay extra for their seats. He argued that the move would be a bit like people who already have to pay more to put excess baggage onto an airline.

Australian carriers have said no to the suggestion that more money should be paid by those whose waistlines will add to an airline’s fuel bill. Vanessa Regan, a spokeswoman for Tiger Airways, said there was no way the company was going to implement such a measure.

Colin Lippiatt of Virgin Australia also said that introducing a tax on overweight people was not something the airline was considering looking into. Qantas joined the opposition by saying that there would… Read the full story

by Isabella Robinson on January 12th, 2012

Travel between Scotland and Australia has just been made simpler after Emirates confirmed that it will be adding a second daily service to the Middle East from Glasgow Airport. An Airbus A340, capable of carrying 274 passengers, will fly to Dubai where it will link to onward services to destinations further east including New Zealand and Australia.

Emirates currently has a 360-seat Boeing 777 operating on the route which, according to the company’s VP UK and Ireland Laurie Berryman, currently operates at full capacity. Mr Berryman said the service was one of the airline’s most successful, and that by adding a second, customers flying out of Scotland would have greater access to the 112 onward routes Emirates currently operates from its Dubai hub.

The news is not so good for… Read the full story

by Lily Thompson on January 11th, 2012

Aviation regulators in India have contacted Air India Express and Kingfisher Airlines because of concerns that the difficult financial situation might be impinging on safety. Civil aviation director general Bharat Bhushan said that although none of the airlines were currently in danger of having their licenses revoked, they had been asked to take steps to tighten up safety.

Kingfisher said it was continuing to maintain strict safety standards and would reply to the director general’s audit of the airline. Air India Express has also said that it continued to place safety standards as its highest concern.

Mr Bushan said he had been talking to a number of the country’s airlines about ensuring safety norms. He added that the carriers were expected to report back in a few days. Reportedly the… Read the full story

by Riley Walker on January 9th, 2012

The discovery of small cracks in the wings of a number of Airbus A380 superjumbos has prompted aircraft engineers to ask the planemaker and airlines around the world to conduct immediate inspections of all A380s in their fleets. Airbus has already issued a bulletin in which it explains that the problem does not affect the safety of the planes, and has asked that the issue is checked the next time the planes come up for their four-year heavy maintenance.

The Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association said that all A380s currently in operation should be checked immediately for the cracks which have been found in the wing-rib attachments.

The union’s federal president, Paul Cousins, said that leaving the problem for four years was an inappropriate response. He added that coming up… Read the full story

by Cooper Anderson on January 6th, 2012