Both Airbus and Boeing now offer aircraft that appear to be capable of flying non-stop commercial flights from Sydney to London – the “Holy Grail” for Qantas. As long as oil prices don’t go much higher than about US$70 a barrel, the 20-hour flight can be financially viable, and could be on schedules within 5 years, aviation experts say. Airbus has increased the range of its A350-900ULR to 9,700 nautical miles from 8,700 nautical miles. Including headwinds, the Sydney-London flight is equivalent to 9,600 nautical miles. “These aircraft, we think, are potentially real goers on these routes,” Qantas CE, Alan Joyce, said, referring to the A350-900ULR and the bigger but less advanced Boeing 777-8. For Qantas, a non-stop Sydney-London route that cuts 3 hours off the flight time would allow it to charge a premium. <br/>
oneworld
The American Airlines uniform controversy is far from over. The latest twist that came to light this week concerns AA pilots. AA pilots have remained mostly silent throughout the past 6 months as hundreds of AA flight attendants and other AA employees have been vocal about the severe symptomatic reactions they have experienced — reactions ranging from rashes and hives to severe respiratory problems that are believed to be tied to new uniforms. But there are growing indications pilots may not remain silent on the matter much longer. Sources say a number of pilots are not happy about the quality of the uniform shirts originally provided by Twin Hill last September. Further, a number of AA female pilots early on began to express concerns that the material in their Twin Hill uniform shirts was too sheer. <br/>
British Airways has announced a series of enhancements to both its ground and inflight service, primarily for premium cabin passengers. The moves will widen the gulf between the front of the aircraft and the economy cabin; BA scrapped complimentary food and drink on short-haul services at the start of this year, opting for a buy-on-board system. It is also embarking on a “densification” program on some of its aircraft fleets. The carrier announced April 6 that it plans to invest GBP400m (US$500m) in its long-haul business class. This will cover improvements to catering in its business lounges at London Heathrow from June, new bed linen for its lie-flat seats (July) and inflight premium dining (September), which will feature on-board display carts from which passengers can choose freshly prepared starters and desserts. <br/>