United shares plunged 12% after CEO Oscar Munoz told investors the company has dug itself into "a little bit of a competitive hole." During an earnings call Thursday, Munoz and other company executives faced a firestorm of questions from Wall Street analysts about the company's performance. And, apparently, their answers did little to quell investors' concerns. United has suffered lately as the company has struggled to keep costs down, maintain its market share, and earn back customers' trust amid a high-profile customer service scandal that rocked the company in April. Its shares are down nearly 18% so far this year. While executives maintained an optimistic tone on Thursday, they also frustrated some analyst by deflecting questions about the company's 2018 outlook. "So as we head into 2018, one of the reasons we're not talking too much about it is we are deep, deep at work with regards to that," Munoz said in response to one inquiry about the company's profit expectations. In an effort to get back on track, the company has made some bold moves recently. For instance, it's now trying to compete in the ultra-cheap flying market by offering cheaper tickets for no-amenities flights, where people are charged for bringing a carry-on bag. Kirby said he thinks the company is a good position to compete with other "ultra-low-cost carriers" in the U.S., but admitted the strategy hasn't been without its hangups.<br/>
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Singapore Airlines said Friday it will finalise an order for 39 Boeing aircraft worth $13.8b at list prices when Singaporean PM Lee Hsien Loong visits Washington D.C. next week. The airline said in February it would order 20 777-9 and 19 787-10 widebodies as part of plans to modernize its fleet over the next decade, but the deal is yet to be finalised and placed in Boeing's order book. The deal was viewed as a major blow to Airbus SE as it battles against Boeing in the widebody market. Airbus has lagged Boeing in net orders in the first nine months of the year, with 271 at the end of September versus 498 for its US rival. Lee said Thursday that he hoped to sign an agreement with Boeing to buy more aircraft for Singapore Airlines during his US visit from Oct. 22 to 26. More details about the order would be revealed after the signing ceremony in Washington, a Singapore Airlines spokesman said.<br/>
More US-bound Qantas flights from Australia are in store as Air New Zealand continues its push into the long-haul market across the Tasman. Air NZ is expanding its sales operation there and has reported success in attracting Australians to its flights to the US via Auckland. A year-long marketing campaign has been running to promote Air NZ's flights to the US and this has just moved into a new phase. The Kiwi airline's service to Buenos Aires has also successfully tapped into the Australian market. Qantas international CE Gareth Evans said his airline was putting its new Dreamliner on the Melbourne-Los Angeles route later this year and services from Brisbane to new US destinations were in store. "I can understand why Air New Zealand is trying to tap into a big customer base. For us, we want to make sure we've got the best network for Australians across the Pacific," he said. "They are always a good competitor - the important thing for us is to have a great direct service to the US out of Australia." Qantas was also assessing more head-to-head competition with Air NZ, which flies a Dreamliner daily to Perth from Auckland and twice a week from Christchurch during summer.<br/>