A new ocean debris drift analysis shows missing Malaysia Airlines MH370 is most likely within a proposed expanded search area rejected by Australia and Malaysia in January, the Australian government's scientific agency said on Friday. A A$200 million ($150.54m) search for the aircraft, which went missing in 2014 with 239 people onboard, was suspended when the two nations rejected a recommendation to search north of the 120,000 sq km area already canvassed, saying the new area was too imprecise. The new debris drift analysis suggests the missing Boeing 777 may be located in a much smaller 25,000 sq km zone within that proposed northern search area. “This new work leaves us more confident in our findings,” Dr David Griffin, a principal research scientist at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) said. The CSIRO report featured data and analysis from ocean testing of an actual Boeing 777 flaperon cut down to match the one from MH370 found on Reunion island off the coast of Africa in 2015, rather than the wood and steel models used in a previous test. "We’ve found that an actual flaperon goes (drifts) about 20 degrees to the left, and faster than the replicas, as we thought it might," said Griffin. "The arrival of MH370’s flaperon at La Reunion in July 2015 now makes perfect sense." Australian Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Darren Chester said he welcomed the new CSIRO report but said it was important to note it did not provide new evidence leading to a specific location of MH370.<br/>
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American Airlines Saturday apologised to a female passenger and suspended an employee after a video showing an onboard clash over a baby stroller went viral, in the latest embarrassment for a US carrier over how it treated a customer. The clip, posted on Facebook on Friday by a bystander aboard the flight, shows a woman in tears with a young child in her arms, and a man emerging from his seat to confront a male flight attendant who apparently wrested the stroller from the woman. Facebook user Surain Adyanthaya, who posted the video, wrote that the flight attendant had forcefully taken the stroller, hitting the woman with it and just missing her child. That sequence of events did not appear on the clip. What it shows is the unidentified man standing up and yelling at the flight attendant: "You do that to me and I'll knock you flat." The crew member then points his finger angrily and challenges the passenger to hit him. The video shows the man eventually returning to his seat. American Airlines said in a statement it was investigating the incident, which took place before the plane took off on a flight from San Francisco to Dallas.<br/>
Air Berlin’s service levels have fallen sharply this month in a sign that the unprofitable German carrier is struggling with the process of downsizing into a smaller network airline focused on long-haul services. Just 56.4% of Air Berlin flights arrived on time through April 17, the lowest reading in at least 16 months and 30 percentage points below the peak in that period, according to data provided by flight-scheduling firm OAG. The airline blamed winter weather, air-traffic control issues and problems with a new ground-handling provider for the poorer performance, while internal tensions have caused flight attendants to voice their frustration. Air Berlin is undergoing a radical downsizing as it cuts its mainline fleet by about half, leasing 38 Airbus SE single-aisle A320 aircraft to Lufthansa and merging its leisure-travel operations with the German airline arm of tour operator TUI. The carrier will focus on transatlantic routes and related feeder traffic through its Berlin and Dusseldorf hubs after years of turnaround efforts and cost-cutting programs failed to restore earnings. The transformation is frustrating and scaring employees and has caused more workers to call in sick, according to an April 10 letter from cabin-crew representatives to management. Flight attendants said conditions were “unspeakable,” with excessive workloads, nonexistent ground services at some airports and snags involving baggage-handling operators, according to the letter obtained by Bloomberg.<br/>
International Airlines Group, the owner of carriers British Airways and Iberia, is stepping up its digital investment by taking stakes in two technology start-ups following its first accelerator programme. The company has set up a multimillion-pound corporate venture fund with the aim of identifying digital start-ups that could help improve the efficiency of its business as well as improve the customer experience. Its first investments are in Esplorio, an automated travel journal app that builds a memory of a trip based on travellers’ social media updates, and VChain, a company that authenticates customer data using blockchain technology. Stephen Scott, head of global innovation of IAG, said the group planned to make further investments. “Where we see strategic alignment we want to invest in new technologies that will help our business move forward.” The group would not disclose how much it had invested in the two start-ups but said neither were majority shareholdings. The investments come as airlines are increasingly focused on digital innovation after being slow compared with other industries to realise the potential of the market.<br/>