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The battle over the domestic aviation market might have quieted down over the past 2 years but Qantas and Virgin Australia remain on the hunt to gain an edge, particularly when it comes to business travel. Cash-rich Qantas is in a far better financial position than the relatively cash-strapped Virgin to fund a new assault on the lucrative corporate and govt market. And with Qantas poised to offer free, high-speed Wi-Fi, even in economy class, from 2017 Virgin would appear to be on the back foot. Rather than promising to beat Qantas to market given the carrier won't begin trials for months and its access to the national broadband network is not exclusive, for now Virgin appears to be quietly questioning whether there is demand for Wi-Fi on domestic flights and pondering whether international isn't a better place to start. <br/>

More than 150 passengers used escape slides to evacuate from a Japan Airlines jet after engine trouble apparently caused smoke to flow into the cabin during a snowstorm, the airline said. Flight 3512, a Boeing 737, was preparing to depart from New Chitose Airport serving near Sapporo to Fukuoka when the incident occurred around 3 pm Tuesday. According to a JAL spokesman, the aircraft was heading to the runway when it was ordered back to the terminal due to heavy snow. It was then that the pilot reported engine trouble and smoke appeared in the cabin, prompting the emergency evacuation, although it was unclear if the engine problem was linked to the smoke. According to police investigating the accident, the engine stalled after taking in snow and there was an explosive sound when a pilot restarted it. <br/>