Qantas CE Alan Joyce says subsidiary Jetstar gets a disproportionately hard time in public because of poor perception of budget carriers. "There's a little bit of a thing around low cost carriers," he said. "All airlines around the world have customer service issues - you learn from them you improve on them but to say they're unique to Jetstar is misinforming the public." Jetstar had operational issues leading to delays when it first started flying jets domestically in New Zealand and its regional operations had a bumpy start during summer. Low cost carriers generally have fewer aircraft at their disposal and leaner staffing meaning operational, mechanical and weather problems could have a greater impact on schedules than for full service carriers. Joyce said full service airlines also have issues."It will happen with Air New Zealand and Qantas . I see them all the time - it's what you do to improve and learn from it. Jetstar does take these issues seriously, he said. "When it gets it wrong it does apologise."<br/>
unaligned
A Virgin pilot who failed a breath test before he was due to fly out of Canberra with 96 passengers has lost a bid to clear his name. The pilot was selected for the test at Canberra Airport at about 8am on the morning of his birthday in August 2013. He had just arrived and was in the Virgin crew area sitting at a computer when a Civil Aviation Safety Authority officer approached him. The pilot was due to later fly a commercial flight between Canberra, Brisbane, and Townsville with up to 96 passengers on board. The initial test was positive, meaning a second, confirmatory test needed to be done 15 minutes later. The pilot would give evidence that he'd had two vodka, lime and sodas, shared a bottle of red wine, and another three glasses of wine, before going to bed at 10pm the night before. The confirmatory test revealed a blood alcohol reading of 0.059, which is more than the legal driving limit, let alone the legal aviation limit of 0.02. The pilot was grounded, and was never allowed to fly for Virgin again. <br/>
Malaysia Airlines and AirAsia are offering discounted fares to passengers stranded by the grounding of Rayani Air, Malaysia's first shariah-compliant airline that was launched barely five months ago. The airline was issued a provisional suspension for three months by Malaysia’s Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) on Sunday (Apr 10) on grounds of safety concerns and unpaid salaries, Malaysian media had reported. DCA said it will undertake a full administration and safety audit of Rayani Air’s state of operations. Prior to the suspension, the DCA has issued two warning letters to Rayani Air on the non-compliance and poor service levels, and had been given multiple warnings, it said. Rayani Air had earlier suspended its operations on Friday, citing a strike by its pilots. However the Malaysian civil aviation authority took issue with this: "If an airline intends to cease operations, they must provide at least six months notice to the DCA. Under the regulations, only DCA is empowered to suspend airlines," DCA said.<br/>
For younger business travelers like Nicole Bansal, Virgin America’s mood lighting, customer service and technology have filled a niche not found on legacy airlines. Bansal, 29, flies Virgin America nearly monthly for her job as a Silicon Valley marketing manager and has become one of the airline’s legion of fiercely loyal fans. But now, with a $4b takeover by Alaska Airlines in the works, Bansal worries she will lose the unique touches that helped her click with Virgin America. “I like Alaska, I don’t love Alaska. But I love Virgin,” she said. “I think of it as a young, hip airline. Alaska is more of a friendly aunt.” Travellers like Bansal are wondering what to expect from Virgin America under its new parent company: skinny jeans and stilettos, or sweatshirts and sneakers. After all, Alaska started in 1932 with a single three-seat plane owned by an Anchorage furrier, while Virgin America was founded by a flashy British billionaire less than a decade ago with a goal of restoring glamour to flying. With the purchase making its way through the monthslong regulatory process, Bobbie Egan, an Alaska spokeswoman, said the airline did not yet know which Virgin characteristics would be retained in the new company. But she acknowledged that Alaska realizes Virgin fans are serious about the brand. “We want to take some time over the next few months and home in on what it is their customers love,” Ms. Egan said. “We want this integration to be very successful.”<br/>