The US FAA has advised airline passengers to power down all Samsung Galaxy Note 7 phones, including those recently replaced. The FAA statement “urges passengers onboard aircraft to power down, and not use, charge, or stow in checked baggage, any Samsung Galaxy Note7 devices, including recalled and replacement devices”. Samsung said it has now decided to halt production of the Note 7, after an earlier statement that it had requested outlets to stop selling the smartphone.<br/>
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Discount airlines are spreading their wings across the Atlantic, driving down ticket prices and expanding service to major and second-tier cities in the biggest shake-up to travel across the pond in decades. New long-haul budget airlines are chipping away at the near-monopoly the major, full-service airlines enjoy on routes between North America and Europe, on which they control 80% of capacity. Targeting customers who fly infrequently or once visited Europe on package tours, they are bringing the shift toward low-cost flying to one of the globe’s busiest and most lucrative corridors. Norwegian, Canada’s WestJet and Iceland’s WOW air offer trans-Atlantic trips that cost as little as half of what their major competitors charge. While these newcomers and others represent only a tiny fraction of the seats on these routes, major airlines are fighting back. Low-fare offshoots of full-service carriers, including Air Canada’s rouge unit and Lufthansa’s Eurowings are offering cheaper fares, fewer amenities and planes outfitted with more seats than their premium sister airlines. Air France-KLM’s CE Jean-Marc Janaillac recently said his company “is looking at all possible ways to respond to the market trend of low-cost, long-haul” but hasn’t settled on a plan. Norwegian has been the most aggressive since it began flying the North Atlantic in 2014. <br/>
The UK and China have agreed to increase the maximum number of passenger flights between the two countries to 100 a week for each nation from 40 and to remove any limit on cargo flights, moves to help boost trade and tourism following the vote to leave the European Union, the UK government said Tuesday. The two countries also agreed to lift restrictions to allow passenger services to be operated from any point in the two countries, the British Department of Transport said. Before the agreement there was a limit of cargo flights of 10 each way a week and airlines could only serve six destinations in each country. The British government has been eager to show that the UK is open for business after Britons voted in a national referendum in June to exit the EU, a move many warned before the vote could hurt the UK’s economy and global standing. “Raising the number of permitted flights between the two countries will provide massive opportunities for our businesses, helping increase trade, create jobs and boost our economy up and down the country,” Chris Grayling, the UK’s transport minister, said in the statement where he described the agreement as a “big moment for the UK”.<br/>
London Heathrow Airport’s September passenger numbers were up 0.4% to a record high of 6.8m. The passenger total for the year to end September was 57.3m, a rise of 0.7% on last year’s figure. Cargo volumes through Heathrow rose 5.9% to 126,109 metric tonnes. Cargo throughput was up 2.1% for the year-to-date. The UK government is due to make a decision during October on which airport, Heathrow or London rival Gatwick, will be given approval to add another runway and ease capacity constraints in the south-east of England.<br/>
Abu Dhabi Airports has signed an MOU with the Seychelles government to develop the country’s Mahe Airport. The Memorandum of Understanding “enhances our growing international reputation as a world-class airport operator, driving us further towards our vision of becoming the world’s leading airports group”, Abu Dhabi Airports chairman Ali Majed Al Mansoori said. The memorandum is a precursor to talks on Abu Dhabi’s involvement in redeveloping the Indian Ocean island’s international airport.<br/>