Qantas will have to pay millions of dollars to travel agents across Australia after the Federal Court ruled that agents were able to make commissions off fuel surcharges placed by the airline on some tickets. Qantas and other airlines have been involved in a class action suit brought by travel agents and law firm Slater
A new plume of ash from the erupting Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland has forced Irish aviation authorities to ground all flights in and out of the country, while UK authorities will close some airspace around Scotland. The Irish Aviation Authority moved to impose restrictions on all flights in and out of the country on May
Continental Air Lines and United Airlines have agreed to a US$3bn (A$3.2bn) all-stock merger which will make the combined entity the biggest airline in the world. The boards of the two airlines announced that an agreement had been struck on May 3 under which Continental shareholders will receive 1.05 shares in the new United Continental
Virgin Blue and Air New Zealand have announced details of their planned revenue sharing trans-Tasman alliance proposal, first revealed to the ASX last week, confirming it will be a non-equity arrangement. The airlines said in a joint statement released on May 3 that the alliance will allow them to “strengthen their competitive offering” on the
Lufthansa has announced that Beijing and Tokyo will be the first routes to receive regular A380 services, the first of which will be delivered on May 19. From June 11, the German flag carrier will operate three weekly services with the A380 on the Frankfurt-Tokyo Narita route, followed by a three times weekly A380 operation
Hawaiian Airlines has announced that it has completed retrofitting blended winglets on eight Boeing 767-300ERs to help reduce fuel burn and emissions. “The modification of eight of our existing long haul Boeing 767s … enables us to achieve even greater efficiency and environmental benefits on our trans-Pacific flights to destinations including US mainland, Australia and
