Norwegian Air Shuttle, the focus of protests by US carriers and unions over labour practices, plans to recruit and hire commercial airline pilots in the country as the carrier expands flights out of Florida. Norwegian, supported by a fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliners, will be the only European airline to hire US-based pilots, according to a statement Monday from the Fornebu, Norway-based carrier. With bases in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and New York, the company brought on US flight attendants starting in 2013 and plans to have more than 500 by the end of this year. The airline has been expanding long-haul routes linking Europe with North America, and its top executive said in a recent interview that the company is in talks for possible routes to Argentina. The carrier, once limited to operating low-cost European flights, plans a fleet of 42 Dreamliners by 2020 and will begin taking delivery of the long-range version of Airbus Group's A321 jetliner in 2019. "Hiring American pilots for our long-haul operation has been one of Norwegian's goals since launching our trans-Atlantic service three years ago, and we are thrilled that we are finally able to do so," said COO Asgeir Nyseth. The airline plans to add more routes from the US this year and in 2017. <br/>
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Officials gave the all-clear after a white substance was found onboard a flight at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. Southwest said that the flight crew discovered the powder substance under a seat Sunday during a routine check after the plane had landed in Fort Lauderdale from Baltimore. The crew contacted local authorities, who then came to inspect the substance. No passengers were on board at the time.<br/>
Buckets packed with fish and formaldehyde leaked in the cargo hold of an Alaska Airlines flight from Barrow to Fairbanks Friday, forcing the airline to hold more than 100 pieces of passenger luggage while they are tested for contamination, a company representative said Sunday. The chemical spill happened on Flight 55 from Barrow to Fairbanks on Oct. 7, said Alaska Airlines spokeswoman Nancy Trott. A passenger checked two closed buckets "containing fish and formaldehyde" without alerting customer service agents to the hazardous chemical inside, Trott said. It wasn't clear why the fish were in formaldehyde or whether the passenger, who was not named, was aware that it was hazardous. Some time during the flight, formaldehyde leaked out of at least one bucket, according to the airline. Cargo workers noticed a strong smell when they opened the hold in Fairbanks, Trott said. On Sunday, the exact quantity of the spilled chemical was still being investigated. Alaska Airlines didn't release the other pieces of baggage back to customers, instead hiring a company that specializes in cleaning up hazardous materials to "clean up the spill and test the bags," according to Trott. As of Sunday afternoon, 107 of the 118 bags in the cargo hold had been tested and cleared, she said. The airline has "reached out to everyone impacted to discuss compensation," Trott said.<br/>
On Thursday, October 6, detectives and officers from the Maui Police Department, along with federal agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives; arrested three Hawaiian Airlines employees in connection with several theft investigations. In August of 2016, Hawaiian Airlines Corporate Security investigators reported to Maui police suspected employee theft involving their ramp agents and checked baggage belonging to passengers. Specific were two incidents involving Hawaiian Airlines flights: The first occurred on June 24, 2016 when a lawfully declared firearm was reported stolen from checked baggage while en route from Los Angeles, California to Hilo with a layover in Kahului. The second occurred on July 28, 2016 when another lawfully declared firearm was reported stolen from checked baggage while traveling from Kahului to San Jose, California. Both incidents were documented with Hawaiian Airlines as well as the Maui Police Department. As a result, the three airline employees: a 28-year-old Wailuku man, a 29-year-old, also from Wailuku; and a 52-year-old Kihei man. All three were employed by Hawaiian Airlines for nearly 10 years.<br/>
Frontier Airlines is looking to fill 1,100 flight attendant and pilot jobs at its hub cities nationwide, including approximately 200 in Denver. Part of the reason is the airline’s airplanes are getting larger. Frontier is retiring its A319 planes, which needed three flight attendants, and replacing them with A320s and A321s, which need four and five attendants, respectively. “Our fleet will grow from 63 planes in 2016 to 72 in 2017,” Frontier spokesman Jim Faulkner said. The ultra-low-cost carrier’s fleet will grow to 120 planes by 2021, he added. Additionally, Frontier is expecting more pilots to reach retirement age. The company said it needs to hire 300 more pilots and 800 flight attendants through the end of next year. “This year, Frontier turned 22 and as the airline matures, we’re starting to see more retirements,” he said.<br/>
Khon Kaen is poised to become the first international gateway to the Northeast when Thai AirAsia (TAA) establishes an overseas link. The low-cost carrier plans to embark on regular flights between the province known as the regional centre for education, financial institutions and state offices, and Kunming in southern China early next year. The route launch, announced by TAA CE Tassapon Bijleved, will directly reconnect Khon Kaen with the outside world after a short-lived connection between the province and Luang Prabang in Laos. Private carrier Lao Central Airlines offered flights between Khon Kaen and Luang Prabang in 2015 before ceasing operations. Plans are also afoot for TAA to establish an additional domestic regional route linking Khon Kaen with Phuket by the year-end, according to Mr Tassapon. <br/>