Qantas subsidiary Jetstar has announced that a fall in demand for seats to and from earthquake stricken Japan has meant that it has been forced to cut in half the number of services it usually flies to Tokyo. The budget carrier will now only be operating seven services a week to the capital.

Jetstar has already diverted a number of flights from Australia to Osaka as fears persist over the state of the tsunami damaged Fukushima nuclear power facility. The carrier said that for the moment it will maintain 25 flights per week between Australia and Japan, but admitted that lessening demand could mean a revision of schedules in the future.

Jetstar is likely to be hit harder than its owner as Qantas now only flies 10 services to Japan… Read the full story

by Mia Harris on March 22nd, 2011

A press release issued at the end of last week by New Zealand’s Commerce Commission and Qantas has come under fire from Air New Zealand. The statement concerns an agreement between the New Zealand watchdog and Australia’s largest airline for it to plead guilty to price fixing charges.

The terms of the settlement remain confidential, but the charges concern the carrier’s freight division and its conduct between 2000 and 2006. However, Qantas has apparently agreed to settle with the New Zealand High Court for the sum of NZ$6.5 million which will include a discount of 50 per cent because Qantas has cooperated with the investigations into the cartel.

The press release confirmed that Qantas will enter a guilty plea at a hearing which will take place on 11 April. The… Read the full story

by Riley Walker on March 21st, 2011

Qantas will now be resting its cabin crew in Hong Kong on services flying from Sydney to Tokyo. The move follows the decision by a number of international carriers to introduce added stopovers to flights to and from Narita International as fears over radiation levels in the atmosphere grow.

Although the Australian flag-carrier claims the decision was made so that staff would avoid issues with transportation difficulties, power outages and aftershocks rather than radiation; it is apparent that the Fukushima nuclear power plant is of some concern.

European carriers Lufthansa and Austrian have been checking their aircraft for radiation contamination. Although nothing out of the ordinary has been found the VAAC atmospheric agency based in the UK has warned that airspace over the US, South Korea, the Philippines, China, Russia… Read the full story

by Cooper Anderson on March 18th, 2011

Fears that Japan could suffer a nuclear disaster have caused a backlog of passengers at Tokyo’s main international airport. The damage caused to the Fukushima power plant during Friday’s devastating earthquake has already meant an evacuation of those who live and work nearby. Officials are continuing to measure radiation levels in the area.

The Federal Aviation Administration in the US agrees with the assessment and said there is currently no reason why airlines should not continue to serve Tokyo. Although it claims logistical problems at Narita airport are the reason rather than radiation fears, Lufthansa has made the decision to divert traffic from Tokyo to Osaka and Nagoya.

The French authorities have advised citizens to evacuate the capital and the US and UK Foreign Offices have told citizens not to… Read the full story

by Isabella Robinson on March 17th, 2011

The world’s international airlines are closely watching to see if the damage to one of Japan’s nuclear power stations will pose any health risks to passengers. Several explosions at the Fukushima plant followed the devastating earthquake which rocked the country on Friday.

For the time being, airlines including Air New Zealand, Malaysian Airlines, AirAsia and Singapore Airlines have said flights will be operating to schedule. All said however that they were closely monitoring what was happening in Japan, especially concerning the damaged reactor.

Cathay Pacific said it was following advice being given by the aviation authorities but saw no reason at the present time not to continue flying to Japan as normal. A spokeswoman for Air China confirmed that the airline had decided to cancel services to Tokyo from Shanghai… Read the full story

by Lily Thompson on March 16th, 2011

Emirates is gearing up to declare record profits next month as its financial year comes to a close. Experts predict net profits of around $2 billion despite the spiralling cost of oil and political turbulence in the Middle East. The first half of the year, from April to September, saw a 19.4 per cent rise in the volume of passenger traffic compared to the same period a year earlier. Emirates published earnings of $925 million for the period.

Peter Harbison, the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation’s executive chairman, said the demand for air travel had not been significantly affected by recent natural disasters and the problems being faced in the Middle East.

He added that the second half of the year had been stronger than the first and that he… Read the full story

by Mia Harris on March 15th, 2011

Countries from around the world have sent rescue teams to Japan in a desperate bid to avoid a humanitarian disaster. Many parts of the country have been left devastated after being swamped by a massive tsunami. Japan has appealed for blankets, tents and other essential supplies to give to the tens of thousands who are now without homes.

The problem has been made worse as experts warn that there could be issues with the reactors at a number of the country’s nuclear power plants. There has already been an explosion at the Fukushima plant, and high levels of radiation have been recorded at Onagawa. Engineers are also currently tackling problems at a site in Tokai.

Japan’s meteorological agency has warned that there could well be another earthquake some time over… Read the full story

by Riley Walker on March 14th, 2011

Australia’s largest airline Qantas faces disruption if workers at the country’s two busiest airports decide to walk out. The carrier’s largest union is due to ask around 1000 employees if they will back work bans and strikes. The reason behind the possible industrial action is a continuing disagreement with the airline over working conditions and levels of pay.

The vote will include operational staff, check-in officials and customer service representatives at Sydney and Melbourne airports. The latest strike threat comes as Qantas pilots also prepare to go to the ballot.

Union representative Ingrid Stitt said members were asking Qantas to give guarantees of job security and initiate a pay rise of five per cent. She added that negotiations had been going on for more than eight months now and the… Read the full story

by Aadyn Taylor on March 11th, 2011

As airlines around the globe continue to feel the impact of rising oil prices, Qantas has announced that it will be increasing fuel surcharges as of next week. In the Pacific-region and across the Tasman, one-way fares will go up by $30. An increase of $35 will be added to tickets for travel to India and the Americas. Those buying a seat to Europe and the UK will have to pay an extra $45.

According to Alan Joyce, Qantas’ chief executive, a number of factors, including instability in the Middle East, have contributed to the carrier’s decision to hike prices. He said that last month had been the first time since the beginning of 2008 that the airline had found it necessary to increase fares on international, domestic and regional… Read the full story

by Isabella Robinson on March 10th, 2011

Emirates is planning to recruit around 4,000 new cabin crew from around the globe over the next financial year as the Dubai based carrier continues with its expansion plans. It is currently being represented at Berlin’s ITB where it is looking to add German speakers to its staff. According to the carrier, it now employs more than 12,000 stewards and stewardesses.

Emirates’ crew is made up of 131 nationalities. Between them they speak more than 80 languages. The airline consists of a fleet of 152 aircraft and has another 200 units on order. The fleet includes 15 Airbus A380s, the largest passenger plane on the planet. It has a further 75 on order from the European planemaker.

The Emirates A380 fleet is supported by around 2,000 cabin staff and 300… Read the full story

by Lily Thompson on March 9th, 2011