United is close to deciding an order for about 30 small jets worth around US$2b, with Boeing looking well placed to win at least part of the deal. A decision by United to pick Boeing's 737-700 jet would be a blow for Bombardier, which has courted United as a key prospect for its CSeries. United's requirement for 100-seat aircraft is in the natural hunting ground for Bombardier and Embraer, but Boeing waded in with highly competitive offers for its slightly larger 737-700, which officially seats 126 passengers. United said it did not discuss future fleet plans. Boeing said it did not discuss market speculation. United is cutting the number of 50-seat jets it contracts to others to fly under its United Express brand and moving towards larger and more efficient planes flown by its own pilots. United's tender for 30 or more 100-seaters ignited a fierce battle at the lower end of the US$130b annual jet market, where the Airbus-Boeing duopoly is most under threat.<br/>
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Air Canada tumbled the most in 11 months as concern mounted that a deteriorating economy will hurt profits while the country’s biggest carrier and competitor WestJet add flights and routes. Air Canada fell 9.2% to C$8.10 by the close of trading in Toronto Thursday, its biggest single-day drop since Feb. 11. “There’s a perception that too much capacity is being added into a market where demand may be weakening,” said Cameron Doerksen, a National Bank Financial analyst. Raymond James analyst Ben Cherniavsky downgraded Air Canada to underperform from market perform Thursday. The firm is the only one among 16 surveyed by Bloomberg to give the carrier the equivalent of a sell rating. Citing “the company’s expansionary strategy and heavy” capital-spending plans, Cherniavsky cut his price target to C$7 from C$12. The next lowest target is C$13. While Air Canada hasn’t disclosed 2016 capacity projections, “all signs point to a significant increase,” Doerksen said, citing new long-distance routes and the planned delivery of Boeing Co. 787 Dreamliner aircraft.<br/>
It started with a flickering of paranoia in the mind of one Jewish passenger. It ended with two entirely innocent customers being hauled off a commercial flight, and with senior Palestinian officials accusing their Greek counterparts of reviving "the worst years of the South African apartheid". The debacle unfolded on a routine Aegean Airlines flight from Athens to Tel Aviv. Before the aircraft could take off, an "initially small group" of Israeli Jews "vocally and persistently" demanded that two Arab passengers undergo additional checks—purportedly because they were acting suspiciously. The pilot called airport security to verify the suspects' travel documents. Both men were given the all-clear, but not before paranoia swept through the cabin, compelling dozens of bystanders to conclude that the unexpected delay must be proof positive of an imminent threat to life and limb. "It started with three or four people and by the end there were 60-70 people standing up, demanding that the pair disembark," an Aegean spokesperson recalled. Confronted with an on-board mutiny, cabin crew took the fateful decision to ask the two Arab passengers — who were not accused of any wrongdoing by the airline — if they would mind taking a later flight. They didn't. Aegean paid for their overnight stay and sent them packing the following morning. Saeb Erekat, a senior official in the Palestine Liberation Organisation, issued a scathing statement about the "unjust and disgraceful" treatment of the Arab passengers. He called on the Greek government to "take strong action against this racist act", likening it to South African apartheid. Responding, Dimitris Gerogiannis, the airline's CE, published an open letter expressing his "greatest regrets" but stopping short of apologising for the crew's actions. <br/>
Children and families have risen to deserve a dedicated service from airlines -- that is how Lufthansa sees it. The carrier now offers a dedicated check-in counter especially for children and family travellers at Suvarnabhumi airport. Bangkok is the first airport in Asia-Pacific to offer this unique service. Lufthansa's family check-in service is another example of the airline's focus on children and families, said Dirk Grossmann, Lufthansa general manager for Thailand and the Mekong region. Children are an important customer group for Lufthansa, he said. The new service is designed to create a memorable flying experience for children from the moment they arrive at the airport. At the family check-in counter, children can climb a few steps to watch the check-in procedure and receive their boarding pass and a special "best friend" boarding pass for their teddy or cuddly toy accompanying them on the flight. Up in the air the airline offers fancy kids' menus, presented in a child-friendly and colourful way. <br/>