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A federal appeals court Wednesday revived a lawsuit accusing US Airways, now part of American Airlines Group, of refusing to refund a passenger's checked baggage fee even though it delivered her bag a day late. The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco said Hayley Hickcox-Huffman could pursue her proposed class action on behalf of other travellers, because federal law did not pre-empt her state law-based breach-of-contract claim. An American spokesman said the carrier is reviewing its legal options. Carriers say baggage fees, typically US$25 for the first bag, help keep base fares low and let passengers decide which add-ons to buy. Critics say the fees disguise the true cost of flying. Hickcox-Huffman sued US Airways to recover a $15 fee, after her bag did not show up following a May 2009 flight. <br/>

Malaysia Airlines will add 11 new routes and embark on a hiring spree by year-end amid a boost in demand from international customers, CE Peter Bellew said Wednesday. The carrier is in the midst of a turnaround after suffering 2 tragedies in 2014. Bellew said the number of routes being introduced now was the most in a single year in the airline’s history, and that the company was evaluating at least 26 more routes that could be introduced by 2018. The airline, he said, was seeing an increase in customers in Asia, particularly from China, India and Australia, despite a fall in the number of fliers to Europe and the US. Malaysia Airlines was looking to hire more staff towards the end of this year and add several wide-body aircraft to its fleet. However, he did not discuss on how many jobs would be introduced. <br/>