A software issue has caused check-in delays at several airports worldwide, and booking problems for many airlines. Passengers reported problems at Gatwick, Paris Charles de Gaulle and Melbourne airports among others. Gatwick blamed a passenger management system called Amadeus Altea but said the problem had been resolved and there were no further delays. Amadeus said it experienced a "network issue" in the morning but that services were quickly restored. Several airlines use the Amadeus software to manage reservations and check-in desks. British Airways, Qantas, Southwest and Lufthansa are among its customers. Reports of delays at several airports appeared on social media at about 10:00 BST. During the disruption, Heathrow airport said: "A small number of airlines are experiencing problems across the world and we're working closely with them to solve the issue." A spokesman for Amadeus made a statement at 11:45 BST, confirming that "a network issue caused disruption to some of our systems". It said the issues had been resolved by 14:30 BST.<br/>
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US lawmakers Thursday approved a bill extending the FAA’s authority to operate and spend federal money and a package of tax relief bills to aid hurricane victims, sending them to President Donald Trump for his signature. Authorization for the FAA was set to expire on Saturday, the end of the budget year. The bill will keep the agency operating for another six months as Congress debates whether to privatize the country’s air traffic control system and considers new airline passenger protections. The Senate passed the bill unanimously followed by the House of Representatives, which adopted the Senate version by unanimous consent. Trump in March proposed handing over control of US air traffic control to a privately-operated board, but has faced resistance among many in Congress and owners of private planes. Major US carriers, including American Airlines, United, Southwest and JetBlue , all back the privatization proposal.<br/>
The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) will examine a series of technology failures at major airlines that resulted in thousands of flight cancellations, according to a letter seen by Reuters. Senator Bill Nelson of Florida sought the probe in August after a series of airline technology failures. In August 2016, Delta was forced to ground 2,000 flights after a small fire resulted in a “massive failure” at the airline’s technology centre. Other disruptions include one that prompted Southwest to cancel over 2,000 flights in 2016 and two outages at United Continental. “The issue of airline IT system crashes is serious and appears to be getting worse,” Nelson wrote in a letter to GAO in August, asking that the office looks into the impact of those IT crashes on passengers and asks for regulatory or legislative suggestions aimed at preventing outages. <br/>
Air carriers are expressing frustration at France's recent decision not to increase the number of flights between Korea and France when the number of passengers has increased sharply in recent years. The French government had initially agreed to increase the number of flights to 14 per week from the current 12 when the two sides met in June last year. But it changed its stance this time, saying now is not the time to do so, according to officials at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. Carriers also appear to be disappointed with the transport ministry, saying the government should have pushed their French counterparts harder to make it more convenient for Korean travelers to visit the European nation. Currently, Korean Air operates daily flights from Incheon to Paris, and Asiana Airlines five times a week, while Air France flies daily to Incheon from Paris. Under the agreement, Korean carriers are allowed to fly to Paris a maximum of 12 times week and it is the same for French airlines. This means there is no room for Korean Air or Asiana Airlines to operate more flights to France, but Air France can add five more flights a week if it wants to. <br/>
Bombardier remains confident that it will win orders for its C Series jetliner this year, even after losing a ruling in a trade battle with Boeing that essentially shuts off the US market. “We’re working opportunities in many, many continents,” Colin Bole, senior VP sales at the Montreal-based company’s commercial aircraft unit, said Thursday. “I’m still very confident that we will have several transactions by the end of the year.” Bombardier hasn’t booked a major C Series sale since April 2016. The US Commerce Department on Tuesday slapped preliminary import duties of 220% on the aircraft, citing a Boeing’s complaint that the plane had received improper subsidies in Canada. The ruling could be reversed through several avenues. “We are certainly working opportunities in China and in other parts of Asia,” Bole said at an event organized by the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal. “Africa, Middle East and Europe are predominant. Who knows? The US is not impossible either.” Boeing had sought levies of about 79 percent. “We thought 79 percent was pretty outrageous, but this is beyond silly,” Bole said. “I can’t imagine seeing a similar number in the definitive ruling.” <br/>