QF sore over A380 payload restriction
SYDNEY, 7 December 2010 – Australia’s Qantas on Saturday said new rules imposed after an A380 engine blast meant the 470-seat superjumbo could carry just 80 passengers to Los Angeles and was “un-commercial” on the key route.
The regulations, which direct lower engine thrust, made the A380 commercially unsuitable for the trans-Pacific trip, according to legal documents filed in the carrier’s case against engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce.
Wiring snag grounds QF plane
SYDNEY, 28 November 2010 (AFP) – Qantas grounded a Boeing 747 overnight because of a wiring malfunction, the Australian airline said Sunday, the latest incident to hit the carrier since a mid-air engine blast earlier this month.
The London-bound flight was cancelled late on Saturday after the pilot experienced “an issue with one of the engines” before take-off, a Qantas spokesman said.
QF A380s back in the air
SYDNEY, 24 November 2010 – Qantas Tuesday announced the partial resumption of A380 flights, but said most of its superjumbos would remain grounded and the trans-Pacific Los Angeles route was off-limits as a precautionary measure.
Chief executive Alan Joyce said he would be on the first Airbus A380, which will leave Sydney for London via Singapore on Saturday – more than three weeks after an engine explosion forced a Sydney-bound flight to make an emergency landing.
Australia wants to double tourism revenue
November 23, 2010 by Imtiaz Muqbil
Filed under Blogs
BANGKOK, 23 November 2010 – A new strategic approach aimed at doubling overnight expenditure for Australia’s tourism industry, from $70 billion to as much as $140 billion by 2020, was unveiled at the inaugural Australian Tourism Directions Conference in Canberra last Monday.
Tourism Australia managing director, Andrew McEvoy said, “Over the past decade global tourism has become much more competitive and this is affecting Australia’s share of the worldwide tourism market. For Australian tourism to remain competitive we need to take a big picture approach that sees the industry focus on where it wants to be in the next decade.”
Qf flights suffer mechanical mishaps
SYDNEY, 18 November 2010 – A Qantas Boeing 747 had to turn back to Johannesburg after one of its engines suffered a bird strike, the airline said Wednesday, the latest in a string of incidents to beset the Australian carrier.
Qantas said the plane’s number two engine lost power after sucking in a bird shortly after takeoff late Tuesday, with damaged turbines forcing an unplanned landing. There were 171 passengers on board.
“The aircraft is being worked on by engineers,” a Qantas spokesman told AFP.
QF A380s could be grounded for weeks
SYDNEY, 12 November 2010 – Qantas grounded its Airbus A380 superjumbos until further notice Thursday, a week after a mid-air engine blast prompted serious safety worries over the world’s biggest passenger jet.
The Australian carrier revamped its flight schedule to exclude the six flagship A380s, potentially for “weeks”, after the blow-out which also led to Singapore Airlines putting three of its superjumbos out of action.
QF points to engine design failure
SYDNEY, 5 November 2010 – Qantas said Friday an engine design fault may have caused a dramatic mid-air emergency involving a flagship Airbus A380 superjumbo, raising possible questions over the giant long-haul craft.
Chief executive, Alan Joyce, said early signs pointed to a “material failure or a design issue” in the Rolls-Royce engines after one exploded just minutes into flight QF32 from Singapore to Sydney, prompting an emergency landing.
Aussies declare war on porn
SYDNEY, 19 October 19 2010 – Australia has ordered visitors to reveal illegal pornography to customs officers in a move which was criticised as “totally confusing” and an invasion of privacy on Tuesday.
Justice Minister Brendan O’Connor on Monday said illegal material must be declared on arrival, watering down recent rules that asked for all pornography to be revealed.
But he said anyone who is not sure whether they have illegal pornography should reveal it just in case. The revamped rule is outlined on arrival cards which are filled in by travellers coming to Australia.
Australia’s image dented by race attacks
SYDNEY, 14 October 2010 – Australia was seen as a “pariah state” by a growing number of countries after violent attacks against Indian students badly damaged its global standing, a public diplomacy expert said Thursday.
Branding guru Simon Anholt has advised 45 governments across the world on questions of national identity and reputation, and conducts an annual poll of 26,000 people worldwide to gauge international attitudes.
Glitch costs Virgin Blue A$20m
SYDNEY, 11 October 2010 – A computer glitch that shut down check-in services for Australia’s Virgin Blue last month, stranding thousands, cost the airline up to A$20 million dollars, the airline reported Monday.
The carrier’s national reservations, check-in and boarding systems crashed on September 26, forcing it to cancel dozens of weekend flights and severely interrupting its business for 11 days.
“An initial assessment of this interruption shows an estimated pre-tax profit impact of A$15 to 20 million,” the company said in a statement.
