Aviation

 
Malaysia Airlines chief executive Christoph Mueller said the airline would not be changing its brand name, in part because it was too expensive to repaint all of its aircraft.

Malaysia Airlines in 'brand refresh'

Jamie Freed   Malaysia Airlines will begin introducing improved services for passengers in flight and on the ground over the next 18 months as it attempts to rebuild confidence following the twin disasters of MH370 and MH17 that beset the carrier last year.

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Qantas could return $2.4b to investors

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Jamie Freed   Qantas Airways could return an additional $2.4 billion of cash to shareholders this financial year due to an expected record-breaking financial performance driven by its cost cutting program and the lower oil price, according to Deutsche Bank.

Rise in flights suggests economy may be flying

Business class airfares are up by 3.4 per cent in September from a year ago.

Jamie Freed   The number of passengers flying between Sydney and Melbourne rose 7.5 per cent in July from the previous year, at a time when airfares are also rising, in a potential sign of rising business and consumer confidence.

Pilotless planes, trains and automobiles

Airliner

Jamie Freed   Google has trialled driverless cars and Singapore has driverless trains. Now the airline industry is experimenting with the idea of pilotless passenger planes. Jamie Freed looks at the safety and security issues and whether passengers will be willing to go along for the ride.

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Cathay Pacific flight from Perth to Hong Kong diverted after 'flames, sparks'

A Cathay Pacific aircraft

Emma Young   A Perth man has described an engine flaming outside his plane window on the Cathay Pacific flight that made an emergency landing in Bali on Friday, despite the airline insisting there were only "lights" seen.

Tigerair Australia 'true blue' despite Qantas concerns

Tigerair is poised to launch flights from Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth to Bali from March.

Jamie Freed   A government body has paved the way for Virgin Australia subsidiary Tigerair Australia to begin operating low-cost flights to Bali despite concerns raised by rival Qantas.

Karratha Airport's $35m expansion is money 'spent well'

The expanded Karratha Airport wants to attract more international flights and Singapore is the most likely option.

Jamie Freed   It sounds like a typical tale of mistimed investment in infrastructure, but Karratha's mayor says funds have been spent well on its airport terminal.

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Aussies aren't spontaneous travellers

Australian travellers on average book flights to Los Angeles more than four months before their departure date.

Jamie Freed   New data shows Australians are some of the world's least spontaneous travellers, though they have sound reasons.

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Air NZ unveils new business lounge in Auckland

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Jamie Freed   Air New Zealand has unveiled a new flagship international lounge in Auckland for business class and high-status travellers.

Virgin's Borghetti now lags Joyce in the pay stakes

Virgin CEO John Borghetti has made clear that developing the freight operation is one of the final pieces of his strategy to reshape the airline.

Jamie Freed   Virgin Australia chief executive John Borghetti no longer makes a similar amount of money to his long-time rival, Qantas Airways boss Alan Joyce.

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Domestic air passenger numbers decline

Virgin and Qantas have made peace, but that's scant consolation for out-of-pocket travellers.

Jamie Freed   Job losses and budget cuts at mining companies hit domestic air passenger numbers last financial year.

Contiki finds currency fall fails to squash youth travel bug

Town Dubrovnik and island in Croatia - abstact travel background

Jamie Freed   Demand reminds high despite a lift in Contiki tour prices.

Airport passenger delays expected as border protection staff strike

Call for action: Nadine Flood.

Anna Patty   Passengers flying in and out of international airports around the country face potential delays as Border Force workers begin a 10-day strike over pay and conditions.

Tourism NZ works to keep its product '100% pure'

Much of the attraction to New Zealand for international tourists was its natural landscape.

Jamie Freed   At a time when most countries are trying to attract as many international tourists as possible, Tourism NZ wouldn't mind if the growth rate of arrivals slowed.

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Virgin rewards flight attendants with pay rises

Virgin Australia short-haul cabin crew will receive pay rises of up to 9.7 per cent a year over four years.

Jamie Freed   Virgin Australia's short-haul cabin crew will receive generous annual pay rises ranging from 4 per cent to nearly 10 per cent over a four-year period.

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Falling $A is changing travel habits

AAT Kings says more Australians are booking its tours of the Northern Territory now that the dollar has fallen.

Jamie Freed   Many Australians are shifting their travel plans due to the severe drop in the value of the Australian dollar.

Europe early bird fares under $1800

Tourists gather on the second floor of the Eiffel Tower on a warm summer's day in Paris, France, August 21, 2015. France is on course to welcome a record number of tourists this year, helping boost sector revenue by about 4 percent, the French minister for foreign affairs and tourism said on Thursday. Revenue from tourism last year represented 7 percent of France's economic activity and brought in revenue of 150 billion euros. REUTERS/Regis Duvignau

Jamie Freed   The popular "early bird" airfares from Australia to Europe for the 2016 northern spring and summer have remained at reasonable levels, with some airlines raising prices slightly from last year and others lowering them slightly at a time when the fuel price and the Australian dollar have fallen substantially.

Contract sees jobs fly back to Skytrans

The new Skytrans has re-employed some of the airline staff who lost their jobs when the original Skytrans collapsed.

Cameron Atfield   Reborn north Queensland airline Skytrans has secured a $25 million contract to transport natural gas company QGC workers, which has led to 18 staff getting their jobs back.

Tony South appointed Tourism Australia chairman

Tony South will take over Tourism Australia at a time when the sector looks to be increasingly important.

Jamie Freed   Industry veteran Tony South has been selected as the new chairman of Tourism Australia.

Air New Zealand gets ready for carbon price

Air NZ improved its fuel efficiency by 2.1 per cent in 2014-15 as it replaced older aircraft models like the Boeing 747, 767 and ageing 737s with more efficient newer 777, 787 and Airbus A320 aircraft.

Jamie Freed   Air New Zealand has launched a major drive to "future-proof" its business by ensuring it is sustainable in part due to its belief a global carbon price will emerge in the coming years.

No points for Canberra's frequent flyers

The department insisted that it always had the Darwin incident under control and the union's claims were 'totally incorrect'.

Jamie Freed   The federal government isn't expecting to be able to collect a massive pool of frequent flyer points to help save on its $377 million annual air travel bill anytime soon.

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Amazon's Jeff Bezos sees 'millions' of people living, working in space

Will the push from wealthy entrepreneurs such as Bezos usher in an era that will make space travel in vehicles such as this Chinese rocket accessible to anyone?

Spencer Soper   The Amazon founder envisions new era of people living in orbit as his exploration company, Blue Origin, races with other ventures to develop rockets for space travel.

Helloworld ends merger talks with AOT Group

Helloworld has ended merger talks with AOT Group.

Jamie Freed   Helloworld quit talks about a merger with privately held travel company AOT after failing to reach an agreement on acceptable terms.

American Airlines flew wrong plane from Los Angeles to Hawaii

American Airlines accidentally flew the wrong plane from Los Angeles to Hawaii.

Abby Phillip   In late August, American Airlines accidentally flew the wrong plane from Los Angeles to Hawaii, a mix-up that violated Federal Aviation Administration regulations.

Why Australian pilots are heading to Asia and the Middle East

Experienced Australian pilots are in high demand in Asia.

Jamie Freed   Many pilots are frustrated with their ability to receive a promotion to captain due to the seniority system and the lack of growth at local airlines.

Airlines should turn to women pilots: Boeing

Captain Deborah Lawrie, who was the first female commercial pilot in Australia in 1979, now flies for Tigerair Australia.

Jamie Freed    Airlines in the Asia-Pacific region should increase their focus on training and hiring female pilots as they look to fill an expected 226,000 new flight deck roles over the next 20 years, says Boeing Flight Services vice president Sherry Carbary.

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Expedia, Priceline pricing practices under ACCC scrutiny

Hotels would like the ability to offer lower rates through direct bookings than they offer through online travel agents.

Jamie Freed   The competition regulator will consult with Australian hotel operators to help determine if "price parity" clauses imposed by online travel agents Expedia, Wotif and Booking.com are unfair.

British Airways plane fire passengers escaped with their bags

Smoke and flames stream from the stricken British Airways jet in Las Vegas.

Passengers on the British Airways jet whose engine caught fire just before take-off in Las Vegas escaped with their lives - and some with their carry-ons, as well.

Qantas will seek further growth in Hong Kong

Qantas will use its newly refurbished A330 aircraft on the extra Sydney-Hong Kong flights.

Jamie Freed   Qantas is seeking more slots at Hong Kong International Airport as part of a broader growth strategy for its international business.

Qantas to add more Sydney-Hong Kong flights

QANTAS VIRGIN AFR PHOTOGRAPH BY GLENN HUNT 4th March 2014. GENERIC - Brisbane Airport, qantas, virgin australia, airlines.

Jamie Freed   Qantas will add new flights between Sydney and Hong Kong on its refurbished A330 aircraft to take advantage of increased traveller demand.