ECADEX 11 kicks off
The RAAF has launched a red on blue training exercise designed to test air defence capabilities. The East Coast Air Defence Exercise (ECADEX 11) began Monday off the coast of central New South Wales and will run through December 9. It pits a ‘Red’ opposing force against a ‘Blue’ friendly force attempting to protect Australian
Virgin Australia overhauls frequent flyer program
Virgin Australia frequent flyers will be able to earn and redeem points online with Westfield under a new partnership between the airline and shopping centre management group. Virgin says the new program is in response to market research that shows non-flight rewards such as retail purchases nearly as popular with Australian frequent flyers as flight
China Southern looking for “typical Aussie” flight attendants
Hoping to inject some “typical Aussie character” into its “traditional Cantonese inflight experience,” China Southern Airlines has launched a recruiting drive looking for some very Australian flight attendants. The drive netted 400 applications in its first week and will wrap up next month in Sydney before moving on to Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth next year.
Qantas profits, passengers down sharply
High fuel prices and its running dispute with unions have cost Qantas more than $650 million, according to a profit update released today by the airline. Qantas expects a first-half underlying profit of $140 to $190 million, a sharp decline from its $417 million profit in the first half of 2010/11. The labour battle that
iPhone meltdown after flight
An iPhone spontaneously combusted after a Regional Express flight from Lismore to Sydney, according to the airline. The phone “started emitting a significant amount of dense smoke, accompanied by a red glow” after flight LZ319 landed in Sydney on Friday, Regional Express said. A flight attendent was able to extinguish the phone and no one
Report: Qantas thinks again on Asian expansion
UPDATED: In a turnabout blamed on the shambolic state of the world economy, Qantas has decided to shelve plans to launch a premium carrier in Asia and will instead form an alliance with Malaysia Airlines, the Australian Financial Review has reported. Qantas executives lost confidence in the capital-intensive venture as the European debt crises worsened
